Four bottles over two years, all from great storage. The two most recent bottles have been very different from each other where the one before this was super elegant, fully mature, silky and extremly well balanced (94p). This however was dissapointment: Thight, tannic and quite bland. Over the four bottles only the first two was similar in development. To be continued..
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Tasted blind. It gave a lot of vanillla at first, and this combined with the acidity sent me to Spain. Lovely red fruit here, with floral overtones, very fine but persistent tannins. Only after 30 minutes in the glass did it exhibit some white pepper. Really good.
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Decanted for three hours. Drank smooth from the beginning. Smokey, briary, smooth with a small bite in the mid palate. Enjoyable, has a fre years left.
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A wonderful showing of this wine. Extremely structured but unfurled with great fruit and spices. So lovely and complex, in a great spot right now even though I should have given it more air than I did. Well stored bottles are definitely a candidate for a decant.
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Drinking pretty well, but definitely a bit dirty. Hard to tell how much of this was bottle variation vs. just the wine, but it wasn't obviously flawed in any way, just not particularly great.
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Initially unimpressed - all tart red fruit. Only after dinner (4hrs later) did the nose start to show olive tapenade (I call it fruit salad sweets for those in the UK) and the mid-pallet start to fill out. This is only medium bodied but there seems more tannin than usual so it seems to be taking ages to open. I’d suggest to hold 5yrs but not too much longer - will then go downhill. I prefer the 96,97 and even 94. 90-92pts
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Supposedly a weak vintage for Hermitage? But drinking very well now. In fact the typical tannin and corse harsh tannin have been soften leaving behind aromatic notes of red and black fruits, leather, toast and spices. Medium acidity and medium tannin. Will not improve anymore. Drink up. Drank from magnum.
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Second bottle within a year, both very similar. Some bitterness on the nose but on palate it's light, fresh and elegant. Strawberry and cherry notes with a fine acidity (as others noted, quite Burgundian). Would say this is in decline now based on the bitter nose but still lovely.
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This bottle is past prime, with some fading fruit, high acid, dried herbs. Lacks power or energy. Red fruit, long tight finish. It's an enjoyable bottle for fans of well aged wine, and for those folks there are several years left to go.
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Dinner at Hamdi (Ballard, WA): Unlike the 1995, this was wide open and singing. Much lighter in color, almost Burgundian, it had wonderful, soaring secondary notes, smoky and meaty, lighter on the palate and framed well with excellent acidity. To me this is totally ready and delivering the goods right now.
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A vintage made right after the passing of Gérard Jaboulet (in 1997) but before the Freys purchased the domaine (in 2006). The fully destemmed fruit is sourced from estate vineyards in Bessards, Greffieux, Le Méal and Rocoules. Aged in partly new French oak casks. 13,5% alcohol.
Evolved, moderately translucent brick-red color. The nose feels savory and meaty - even a bit sweaty - with aromas of cooked red fruits, some earthy tones, a little bit of carrot purée, light briny notes of olives, a hint of blood, a touch of smoke and a faint sweet whiff of diacetyl. The wine feels dry, savory and crunchy on the palate with a medium body and intense, complex flavors of tart lingonberries, ripe raspberries and old leather, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of ferrous blood, light tertiary notes of wizened blackberries and meat stew, a hint of carrot purée and a smoky touch of bacon grease. The wine still retains quite a bit of structure with its high acidity and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is evolved, long and quite grippy with a meaty aftertaste of game and bacon grease, some leathery tones, a little bit of tart lingonberry, light sweeter notes of wizened raspberries and dried blackberries, a hint of earth and a touch of olive.
1998 is considered to be one of the weak vintages of Jaboulet La Chapelle - and this might be more obvious in a vertical tasting setting - but just as a wine on its own, this was a surprisingly enjoyable effort. Perhaps a bit evolved for its age, but still coming across as quite true to the region and the variety - something that doesn't seem to hold true for the more recent vintages of Jaboulet wines. This wine showed lovely and quite meaty flavors along with olive nuances and evolved tertiary fruit tones, supported with still rather firm and muscular structure. If the wine has been oaky in its youth, it certainly didn't show anymore. It's hard to see this wine evolving and improving much - or at all - from here, but at least the wine doesn't seem to be falling apart anytime soon, either. Drink or keep. This was a very enjoyable, fully mature Hermitage. The wine got zero points from the ten participants in our tasting, making it finish on shared last place.
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Rhone Candidate dinner - Hermitage Theme (Essential by Christophe): Opened and let breath for maybe a few hours before serving but no decant. I wonder how that would have impacted the wine as it did seem much more youthful than some notes had projected. Drinking nicely though. Very gamey and structured and balanced. Touch of the floral side. It’s a bit heavier than the Chave again but worked nicely with the food. Bottle in great shape.
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Last of 12, decanted 30 minutes, perfect level, crumbly cork, some style in this good but not great vintage and some layering, just a bit dilute and short for my taste and a far cry from Jaboulet's previous high standards (indeed the 97 and 96 are to be preferred IMO), downside but no rush. VG+ (16.5).
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Very nice showing for this. The last glass was best, and initially there were some vanilla wood tones that faded with air. I would recommend an hour decant at this point. The wine itself was in good shape, some library notes, red fruited, macerated strawberry and red plum, some meatiness. Structurally it’s resolved and has held up well. I’m happy to have another.
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Decant, for sure. I decanted for about an hour (maybe a little more) and it was a completely different wine than I tasted on opening...in a good way. Full palate, rich and excellent with food.
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lovely fresh red cherry fruit. drinks quite clean and if I didn't know better I might guess it to be a Burgundy. — After 48hours I came back to it and it had opened considerably gaining both heft and spice. In retrospect we should have given it a long decant
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Jimmy's btl at Chez Jimmy! A great feast of Lamb & Prime rib in the hands of one of our favorite local Greeks! I enjoyed a smaller pour of this near the end of the evening. Struck me as in the good place and very NR. I don't see this improving much though.
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Alex Bday. A bit herbal again in the nose. A bit more fruit forward and rounded than the earlier vintages. Doesn't strike me as quite as complex or interesting, even adjusting for age. Still very nice.
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Maybe a touch cold on opening, but quite aromatic with dried herbs and a touch raisiny fruit. Like my last bottle - has a lovely mouthfeel with good acidity. It feels like it's in a lovely place with a good balance between the last remnants of bright fruit and those nice tertiary meaty, cigar smoke notes.
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Have not had this in years. Frankly, it’s tired and close to being done. Classic aromas that are followed by a lean palate that seems like it’s going to fall apart soon. It’s enjoyable but just barely. (86)
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Rhône or Nôwhere 2022 (Malcom, Nebraska): Until Caroline Frey took over wine making responsibilities, “La Chapelle” was sort of known to me as a perennial underachiever with very few vintages in the last 40 years really meeting their potential. The late 90’s was perhaps the deepest point of the malaise. That being said, this bottle proves that the underpinnings were always there and I found it to be very enjoyable, if not quite on the level of the other examples of late-90’s Hermitage we enjoyed on the night. There is still quite a bit of life left.
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Really good on nose, medium plus mixed black and red cherry, earthy, forest floor, light vanilla, dry, medium acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium smooth tannin, long finish, not suitable ageing
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At its peak and potentially the start of its decline. Blackish ruby red with bricking at the rim. decanted and drank over 90 minutes. Paired well with yellow cheeses. Nose earthy, meaty, smoky, hints of olive tapenade and plums, mushrooms, lots of tertiary aromas reflected on the palate. Acidity beginning to wane, tannins fully resolved, decent length and medium bodied. Enjoyable but not flabbergasting.
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Pausing for the Cause 2022 (Chicago, IL): From magnum. For a change, a bottle of La Chapelle that's actually decent. Surprisingly clean without any off notes, though there might have been a smidgen of volatile acidity here. Beautifully clean black fruit on the palate, but this still lacks the salinity and brine notes that I love in my syrah, even though there are a few smoky tones here.
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YES YES. Agree with the assessments that this is at the end of its peak; but really very nice ; characteristic N Rhone 2nd-ary development. You can tell that this was never a blockbuster ; the colour is quite light and browning now. But lovely nose and taste in the mouth is great ; drink up and enjoy. Lovely stuff.
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Only needs a 20 min decant. Fully mature, in prime, nice balance and finish. No upside, nice balance and finish; should not be paired with steak, ideally fish and chicken. This wine will be overpowered by any heavy dish.
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From memory. Drank against ‘98 St. Joseph which, while excellent, didn’t compare. This is in a terrific place. Opened up beautifully over the course of a few hours. Black fruits, earth, game, and quite floral. Great mineral notes and acid backbone. Tannins were integrated and balanced. Just a great wine in a really nice spot right now. No signs of slowing down either.
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The nose is a little restrained - Black fruits, dried meat, herbs and leather. The palate is vibrant with Ripe black fruits, spice and a hint of what I’m calling cigar ash. Lovely mouthfeel and balance. Just feels right. Fine tannins. Bit of grip left. Good length. Via Coravin.
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Best wine I’ve had in 2 years. Double decanted, which awakened the sexiest Rhône wine I’ve ever had... nose was beautiful roasted sunlight and earth... silky tannic structure with pretty warm fruits.. wow.
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A lovely bottle, very fresh, still some backbone, a broad spectrum of fruit and savoury flavours, cherry, kirsch, olive, a hint of meat, some herbs. Very complete.
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Garnet yellowish rim, obvious tannin sediments. Immediate nostalgic nose of old leather, smoky, sweet black and red currants and cherries, black olives, farmyard, grilled nuts, savoury and game. Stunningly Burgundian transparent palate, wet stone minerals, mid weight, expanding mid palate with good grip. Plummy leathery, tarry and smoky. Every sip is so enjoyable. Velvet and at peak now. Classic elegant expression of Hermitage Chapelle in this vintage 1998.
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Drank this at a mate's place for wine dinner. Theme of the evening: wines from the 90s.
Red in colour, with a matured nose and palate, with spices, cloves, cinnamon, cheese, mushrooms, wet forest floor, vanilla and aged leather. With all the elements in place, this wine is drinking beautifully at this stage; harmonious, silky and simply a pleasure.
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I have a mixed take on Jaboulet who certainly is not a favored Northern Rhône producer but nonetheless has produced several beautiful Hermitage La Chapelle vintages such as the incredible 1961 and 1978 and more recently 1990 and this 1998 which shows a rather Burgundian nose of raspberry, sous bois, Chinese five spice, and surprisingly a bit of fresh cedar I have not noted in past bottles. Medium body, soft tannins, bright acidity.
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Beautiful perfumed nose. Nice freshness and acidity. Secondary development with brambly forest floor, mushrooms and prune notes. Medium body with melted tannins far in the background giving this a very pleasant mouthfeel. Takes some time in the glass to come into its own.
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Decanted for three hours. Dark, but fading, red colour. Complex woody/spirity nose. Curranty flavour, much oak and aromatic complexity. Plush tannins. Really austere and rich. Magnificent with roast pheasant.
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One of the most famous wines from the Hermitage appelation. 1998 in this case. In the glass mid purple. Quite a nice nose. The wine itself opens with a strong acid backbone and gives fruit, some spice, liquorace and a touch of plum. The finish is very long, a bit sharp and with a touch of tannins left. Overall great drinking, if you like a mature wine. Very well preserved, this can go for many more years.
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Perfect cork after 22 years. Color showing some age. Took a while to open up - should have decanted it. Once it opened, pepper, cherry, olives, earth, lovely fruit. Very integrated tannins. Acidity still nice. Drank from a 750. Still has lots of life left, but drinking beautifully now.
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Red-brown color. Fine, but complex nose with prune, Robusta coffee beans, forest floor, meat and Maggiweed. Fine tannins, and a medium/full body. The wine has a very smooth texture, medium acidity and finishes long. A pleasure! Drink now.
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Drunk from a magnum at Christmas. Really at its prime now - decanted for an hour just because. I suspect bottles are past it, but the magnum was beautiful. Lots of secondary notes, went down really well with roast turkey for Christmas dinner. One last bottle to go
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Nicely balanced with great freshness and acidity. A huge contrast next to the Alban Reva and Amon Ra which were much more black-fruit driven. Red fruit with sour cherries and roses. Very elegant.
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I might rate this wine higher on my next tasting but this was a stunner and such good value at the price point. Decanted and aerated for 90 minutes which is what the wine needed to open up. Nose of red and black fruits, meat, spices, olive tapenade. On the palate very rich, starts slowly and builds up in complexity to reflect an awesome structure, nice complexity and balance. Medium to full bodied, this deep ruby colored wine finishes long with tannins fully integrated and ripe. This wine is mature and ready for business
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Olives, red fruit, mushrooms, blood orange, and savory notes on the nose. Good acidity, integrated tannins, red berries, and thyme on the palate. Long, lingering finish. Tasted side-by-side with the 99 and while both were good, they were quite different and I preferred the 98 (brighter, more nuanced).
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Dinner with blind tasting of Syrahs (Fonsalette Syrah, Bionic Frog, Ares, Alban, Saxum, L'Ermite, Ex Voto, La Landonne) this was a standout, Majority WOTN. Extraordinary complexity, elegance coupled with power, cherry, dark fruits, pepper, leather, spice, integrated tannins, long finish
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Tannins are quite soft, red fruit is ample and showing secondary development. Improves substantially with air, the initial funkiness on the nose is replaced by fruits and enticing spices.
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Vin d’anthologie. Décanté 3 heures avant souper. Nez complexe, prune à l’ouverture puis poivre, cassis, cuir, réglisse, tabac à la fin. Tannins fondus. Complexe et long. Encore puissant . Probablement à son apogée, peut tenir la route encore longtemps. Heureusement il en reste. Parfait avec côtelettes d’agneau sautées à l’ail puis tomme fruitée rustique. Je ne boirais que cela..
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Dry and classy. Very sound, healthy fruit, quite light an elegant for the genre, certainly better than expected. Received much praise around the table. A point, I think, but no signs of fatigue #CP#Jean-Luc
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This was an aged, smooth, woody and delicious wine with good fruit tones. But I wonder if I decanted it for long enough. Is an hour enough for Hermitage?
solbær, plomme. Uren frukt, grumsete og flabby. bra struktur. Ingen stor vin i meget bra årgang, og understreker Jaboulet sine kvalitetsproblemer sent 90 tall og tidlig 2000-tall. 87-88
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Still drinking fine although it's possible it's on a downward slope. Very minimal tannins but enough structure to hold together the interesting Rhone flavors
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Aroma of sour currants and flowers. Tasted red currant, blood iron. Slightly dry. This gets much better after 1 hour of decanting - developed floral and cassis palate with slight tinge of honey. Enjoyable and easy drinking. This should get better with more time.
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Auf der Prowein 2019 probiert. Aus der Magnum. Vielleicht war diese Flasche schon seit 1-2 Tagen offen. Was mir ingeschänkt wurde. War, weich und brav. Unter 90 Punkte. Nicht mein Fall, vermutlich zu lange offen oder nicht mein Fall?!
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I’ve drunk a few from the case I have and they have won me over with age. Drinking well but still plenty left in the locker. Dark fruits, jammy, tobacco, liquorice ..... Christmas in a glass. Lovely. At the price point I think this is reasonable value
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On first pop this displays a gorgeous nose of earthy truffle before transitioning to red currant, black olive, and white pepper. Earthy flavors on the palate are supported by soaring acidity and soft, resolving tannins. The 1998 Hermitage La Chapelle is special. Drink through 2025. (Cellar rerelease from winery)
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Tasted blind next to the 1996. Tons of barnyard on the nose, in a good way. Seemed more mature than the 1997, but also more interesting and tasty. Layers of red fruit here with figs, mud and beef stew. Very nice acidity and soft tannins. Really nice now.
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From 75cl bottle. 1st of 6. A revelation. Previously sampled from Coravin. Wine lacked body and appeared past its best. This time opened and decanted two hours before drinking. Nose still a bit funky but much heavier mouthfeel. Good fruit. Long finish. 91/92
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This bottle, while still great,did not provide as much pleasure as previous ones. It felt slightly rough and a bit austere. Still very much enjoyable though. Nose of Tobacco, charcuteries, light olive brine, quite light fruit, more red than black. On the palate also elegant with quite a lot of herbs and stems in the mix. Fruit light and a bit too subdued. Good mineral feeling. Good lenght.
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Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle Dinner (1978, '82, '83, '85, '88, '90, '95, '97, '98, '99, 09) (Taberna, Bukit Merah): A step up from the bottle I had 4 years back - this is starting to show decently well. It started with a deeper nose than on the 1999 on the same flight, and was perhaps better for that. This showed a lovely breath of earth and meat and savoury sour plums layered beneath sweeter notes of plums and blueberries - a lovely bouquet seasoned with a bit of fragrant spice. The palate was stronger than the 1999 as well (if not quite on par with the 1997), with a blush of spice and a chew of fine, brambly tannins framing juicy notes of blueberry and black cherries. The finish haf a twist of bittersweet herb and just that tiny hint of astringency picked up on the 1999, but this was certainly a stronger showing. An elegant wine, charming, but still a bit tight and also lacking a touch of depth. This would be interesting to try in another 4-5 years down the road.
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By far the best showing of my three bottles from Garagiste. Not sure why the others were so flabby but this was deep, delicate, integrated and beautiful. Classic old-world Rhone.
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Mag Dinner Pampas Steakhouse: From magnum; while this was very nice in the way it was screaming Northern Rhone Syrah with its black olive, intensely ferrous minerality, and somewhat angular acid, this lacked some mid palate weight and stuffing to be great.
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Five Vintages of Jaboulet La Chapelle (Sonoita, AZ): This wine was second on my list. Very fruity nose with noticeable alcohol. The flavors/aromas were more intense, as if moving back towards the 80’s vintages. This was the first wine with a touch of menthol on the palate. Nice dark chocolate component with a very long finish. The structure showed high tannins and high acidity, but had enough fruit to balance this approach to a bigger style wine. This wasn’t the same kind of wine as the 80’s vintages, but excellent in its own right. This is balanced enough to actually improve with more bottle age. Perhaps a drinking window of 2016 – 2026, with the best years to enjoy in the early 2020’s.
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Excellent wine and drinking great at the moment. Classic northern Rhône Syrah, with a mix of dark fruit, spice, beefy notes. Balanced, ultra smooth on the palate. Really enjoyed this one.
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P. Jaboulet Aine - Hermitage la Chapelle 1995-2015: During a merchant tasting. Medium tawny. Also here nose of rum pot, port, pepper, more balanced than the 1995, some smoke and leather as well. Rich and ripe palate just like the 95, 99 and 06. Good but I wished for a bit more freshness and structure for a higher score. Drink up.
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Ami Louis 2nd wine after 06 Guigal Ex Voto...still very fresh, bright, real Syrah nose, dark, meaty and more refined than guigal but not as refined as other years
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1998 JABOULET LA CHAPELLE HERMITAGE- medium dark purple colour; contrary to past comparisons, I liked this better than the 97`; there was more pepper and spice especially in the taste; liquorice and red currant were most evident; it had medium to full body and long finish with a pepper trail.
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Gorgeous and perfectly balanced, with a nose of Burgundian sous bois, red currant, and black olive. Earth on the palate, with soft tannins, fresh acidity, and a beguiling weightless. The only detraction is an absurd amount of sediment—this is worth standing up a few days before opening. (Cellar rerelease from winery)
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Looking back at what Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson wrote about this wine in the early- and mid- 2000's respectively, they could hardly have had more different views, both as to quality, and as to potential longevity. As it so happens, I followed Parker's advice and cellared this wine well beyond the 2013 that Jancis predicted as the outer-limit of its range, and I have to say, with each bottle I drink, this wine gets better and better. The bouquet straight out of the bottle (before decanting) is simply exquisite - smokey and gamey, with violets and blackberries, saddle leather, gingerbread and a hint of cinnamon. The palate, straight out of the bottle is lively, fruity (the violets and black fruit ever-present), structured, with grip and well-integrated tannins (anything but fading or insipid !), but decant for two hours and the softer side of this wine emerges - full, round, less strident, more subtle and silky, more complexity and finesse. I have to say, Parker won this round (sorry Jancis !).
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So I really liked it, but I'll be honest that I didn't feel like it quite lived up to the bottles of this that we've had lately. Felt like this one was a bit more on the back-end of the journey. Fruit mostly faded and so lots of leather and and a musty character to it. Some of this was blowing off with time (I wonder if a decant might have opened it up some and a bit faster), but overall I think this was good, not great and I've had some great ones of these.
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Ripe nose of purple fruit compote and hung meat. Hint of olives. Great acidity, hardly any pepper, elegant and fun to drink but probably at peak or a little after.
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Second of three bottles from Garagiste. I gave this one a two-hour decant based on other notes. The wine was tart with secondary fruit, monolithic and uninteresting but drinkable.
Yet Another Wine Group Hermitage Tasting: This is good. Pungent & complex nose of cake spices, molasses, some secondary stewed aromas. This is still very young with crunchy tannin & lingering mouth swirling acidity.
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Opened and decanted. Didn't take detailed notes, but this is very much in a good drinking window now. Well aged. Fruit faded more, but so it goes. Still delicious.
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Much better than previous bottle... still giving green notes when first opened but after some air time it developed nice red fruit with spicy pepper notes. Much lighter and less complex than the Chave we drank before it. Very nice - thinking it is probably in a good window now.
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Just gorgeous and improbably balanced today, with a Burgundian nose of earthy, smokey sous bois mixing with red currant and black olive. On the palate, huge flavors of red fruit and earth, yet a plush texture, soft tannins, and fresh acidity give this an ethereal weightless. The 1998 La Chapelle is stunning today. (Cellar rerelease from winery)
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This showed beautifully, perfect now, Burgundy like bouquet, super refined palate, lean yet rich and satisfyingly earthy, deep savoury wine, very fine indeed.
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Au restaurant. Magnum ouvert la veille... Robe tuilée, nez sur le cuir, la viande séchée, la bouche est souple mais bien structurée, belle longueur. Assez impressionnant. A boire.
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Showing more development on the rim; leathery nose. A little attenuated coming after the 2003. Some red fruits here. Quite light on the palate. Tastes older. A little short.
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Wow this is in a perfect place right now. Red currant, green & black olive, and smoke are some of the notes on the gorgeous nose. Savory and intense, yet seemingly weightless on the palate, with fine, soft tannins and fresh acidity. The 1998 La Chapelle is superb. (Cellar rerelease from winery)
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Fully mature, maybe just past. Tannins are fully resolved, not much fruit at this point, but lots of secondary and tertiary flavors which constantly change as it sits in the glass. This was probably never a blockbuster and I don't think it's going there either. Update, after 2 hours in the decanter, the wine has really opened up, more fruit, more Syrah character, lovely. Raising the score a bit.
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A very tight cork, some bricking, wonderful out of the gate, but the last glass at 4 hrs of air was the best, the really fruit began to sing. A beautiful wine with all the appropriate Northern Rhone signatures. Drinking well now. 93+
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Deep, dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Forward, fragrant & attractive nose of complex, ripe fruit aromas of red cherries, strawberries & kirsch with overtones of sous-bois, earthy/dusty & floral notes of violets, dried herbs, notes of mint, anise & truffles, spice notes, pepper, olives, aged leather, tar, minerals, cocoa, smoky and a hint of meaty undertones in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, complex, ripe fruit flavors of strawberries, red cherries & plums with pepper, savory spices & dried herbs, earthy, mushrooms, minerals & a touch of oak. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present & has some limited potential for further development with additional aging.
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7th of 12 bottles and 3 magnums, decanted 40 minutes, perfect cork and level - medium deep red, browning rim; plums, cherry, earth, slightly vegetal, green peppercorn, hint of violet and smoke; fullish, quite long though fades on exit, slightly dusty tannins, slightly dilute, been fully mature for about two years, more pleasurable with a beef stew than my note would indicate, but still a disappointment for Chapelle in the context of vintage and relative to past vintages including the superior 97 and 95, hardly great vintages! VGI (17).
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Monthly Tasting Group: Northern Rhone (Tilia, Mpls): Very dark red/purple color. Drank a small pour over 15 minutes. I didn't write down any detailed notes on this. But it was Dave's bottle from the other table and it was one of the highlights. Showing good balance, a nice savory element, with roasted meats, dark red fruits and nice tannins. 91+ to 92pts.
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Decanted about 90 min before serving. Very fragrant nose displaying earth, iron, sweet spice, and a trace of cool mint/ginger. On the palate though, just OK. Still some fresh, crisp acidity, but fruit was very muted and felt thin, maybe even a touch angular. 95 by the nose, 89 by the palate, and 92 overall.
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A great bottle: a harmonious and expressive wine, balancing savory elements against the remaining fruit, one that had me constantly reaching for more with and without food. Raspberry reduction and peppercorn gravy in an elegant frame. If anything, this put on weight over the hour it was open, but I'm in the drink now while the drinking is good camp.
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Elegant used a lot here for good reason--it tastes a bit fragile with age but still delicious. Very complex with different flavors emerging over the two plus hours it was open. This was allegedly perfect provenance straight from the winery, and still I wouldn't hold that much longer.
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MUCH better than we anticipated for being so young. Love how 18 is young for Syrah.
Concentrated, but elegant. Perfumed with a bit of petrol, saddle leather, dark fruit, and a bit of barnyard. Opens up fabulously quick, but began to close back down after about 1.5 hours.
Flavored were as expected from a top-quality Syrah. Dark berries, leather, roasted meats, and a bit of vanilla and white pepper to round things out. Really elegant and refined. The flavored are still a bit staccato, but they are beginning to meld together nicely. Again, this was upon opening and after about 1.5 hours it all began to shut down.
This wine is going to be amazing, but it needs time. Feels like we're at the end of a sleepy period for it and it's fighting to come back to life. I expect that the remaining bottles will begin to really shine in another 5 years or so and will likely plateau for a few decades after that.
Note: This was from a private cellar in France just dust down the road from the chateau. This was not from the regular importation to the US, which I've tasted and was not nearly as good as this bottle.
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Really gorgeous stuff. In a prime drinking spot now, no need to wait. This bottle had damn near perfect provenance. Other bottles of the 1998 that have been in the market for the last decade (+) don't typically seem to show quite as well.
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Right at the crossroads between old and new. One hour decant, followed by pours through a Vinturi. Medium garnet color with a tiny bit of bricking. Herby and floral nose. Flavors of bright red fruit and a touch of leather. Light tannins still evident, along with juicy acidity. Am drinking these now.
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I give up. This wine is just way over the hill and is not a pleasure to drink. I keep hearing that there were different bottlings of this, so maybe mine were the wrong ones, because they are all unpleasant. Tart, thin and limited flavors. I tried leaving one open for 6 hours to see if that helped, and there were a few moments of black olive and leather that disappeared. My last bottles went down the drain - not even good enough for cooking and I need the room in my cellar.
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RODANO AIS TORINO: Da Magnum. Naso stratificato, gentile e terziarizzato, ma molto complesso. Ha un profilo fungino e terroso da vecchio Barolo. La parte acida e salmastra si sente già nel naso e prelude a un sorso scarno e sottile in cui l' acidità gioca troppo in primo piano, sospinta dalla mancanza di materia. Forse bottiglia un pò più evoluta del normale e finale un pò magro, quasi annacquato. Molto meglio al naso che in bocca.
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Decanted for a short time - not what I would expect from this wine. Enjoyable, but a bit thin. Fruit is bright with some green notes. Forward acidity and lacking complexity and balance.... Having said all of that (and being critical for the price paid) it was still enjoyable to drink.
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Sweaty pruney fruit on the nose. Amber color turning to brown. Watery palate with not much grip left to speak of. "Old wine" of little interest. Very disappointing.
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4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Our house): Dusty color, obviously older. Aromas of red berry fruit, slight sour cherry note, dried herbs and roasted meats. Integrated and balanced, with flavors of meat, red berry fruit and holiday spices. Finishes well with hints of white pepper and meat. Easy to pick out as old world Syrah, though besides me, only the person who brought it thought so. Drink now.
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Decanted and drank during a long diner of skirt steak and fall vegetables. With a fairly astringent nose with some reluctant fruit in the background, I feared that I would not relive the pleasure I got three years ago. But the wine soon got it's footing, with a sharpness that cut through to balance with the food, coupled a mellow loam and earthy fruit in the mid palate, and a long finish where the components reverberate in counterpoint. Food is a must with this still vigorous wine. If I had another bottle, I'd revisit in 3 or 4 years wit the hope that the astringency mellowed a bit, or drink now with a sharp, earthy meal.
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very thin and astringent this time around. previous bottles have been lean, but not like this. Getting too old or just a particularly bad bottle? will drink last few quickly.
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Winedinner with friends @Ekenhov (Ekenhov): Another great bottle of this wine. Lovely nose of mint, meat, blood, iron filings, leather, light tar, black truffle, cherry, lingonberry and raspberry. On the palate this perfectly combines intensity and power with poise and elegance. Good acidity, great mineal feeling, lovely finish with red, ripe berries, iron and earth. No signs of old age yet. Just lovely!
This is a great wine, but perhaps one could wish for a bit more intensity. I love the etheral notes of ripe raspberry and wild strawberry, but they are very fleeting. Just a tad more substance to the fruit and this would have flirted with perfection.
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Robe évoluée, translucide. Le nez est immédiatement expressif, sur le tertiaire, sous bois. La bouche est délicate, douce, le vin a digéré tout son tanin. Beau vin à maturité. Même pour moi qui ne suis pas une grande fan de la Syrah !
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Blind tasting. Very mature nose. Like a Port. Dried fruit, nuts and hints of soy sauce (detracts in my book). Meat stock and a bit old-school. A very mature nose, where it is hard to detect any particular place or style. Medium-fullish, still tannic palate. Good length. A bit flowery with aromas of dried fruit, some leather and a tiny bit menthol. Slightly tart and dry finish. A bit dissapointed in this wine considering the pedigree... It was very hard to detect any Syrah characteristics.
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A private tasting and dinner (Bilthoven): Much lighter colour than the previous two and much lighter weight and concentration, drying tannins, has a touch of greenness but there is ripe fruit and pepper too, and length is very good. May need a bit more time.
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Drunk New Year's Eve. Pop and pour. Purple with light bricking. Nose of red fruits, leather, sour cherry. Body had weight and substance, a much better showing than past bottles.
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Gorgeous nose is beautiful and complex wit mature fruit, pepper, black and green olives, smoked meat and a load of herbs. Wow palate with a pop of black pepper pop. Medium-to-full bodied yet elegant and bright. In a great spot.
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Raid Len's Cellar #2: Lifted aromatics - licorice, florals, black cherry, smoke and light truffle. The palate is refined and really well defined, with the savoury elements mixing with medium bodied fruit. With very good carry, this was drinking extremely well.
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Medium red wiht slight brick tones. Mature but nice aromatics. Surprisingly good after a 20 minute decant. Sweet cough syrup flavors, tobacco, cigar box wood, pepper. Tannins are subdued. Light body. Nice acid, perhaps a touch too much. Mineral. Definitely a leaner style, but better showing than 2 years ago. Needs rich food to to really shine. With food and time in decanter this was so much better, with more fruit showing and edges rounding. Like everything in life, this is all about expectations. Not a blockbuster, not an outstanding wine, but very nice and enjoyable in the right context. Don't even think about drinking this without some rich braised meats running with fat. But with that, very nice.
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M+M's Housewarming BBQ (Malvern Springs): Decently good, but nothing more. En Magnum, this was another rather underperforming Northern Rhone – a bit disappointing given how well some of the much pilloried La Chapelles from the mid-1990s have started to show in recent years. The nose had a touch of farmyardy funk to it, which lifted slightly with time to show red fruited cherry aromas on a dusting of earth and mineral. The palate had a nice clarity to its blue fruited tones, but it was tightly wound and rather thinner bodied then I would expect, showing rather acidic citrus notes on the midpalate and towards the attack. A little bit of savoury bacon emerged with time, but this was still on the tight side, especially at the finish. It needs time yet, quite a bit of it. Nothing wrong with it at the moment, but it is just not that great. Another wine that time should give a bit of help too. Try again in 5 years.
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I drank this wine a year ago and my notes are entirely consistent with that tasting. Several have noted that this wine could be on the decline and that it was more light bodied than one would expect of this producer and lineage. I totally agree that this wine is a bit light in terms of its color, body & viscosity but it still has intensity of fruit, is extremely well balanced, the tannins are still there but are relatively soft and non-intrusive. The color is medium cherry-red, and the nose is of very lovely black fruit, tar and tobacco aromas. The wine screamed of coffee beans on the front palate, plenty of black pepper everywhere, had great mouthfeel, and lots of tertiary stuff here--leather, tar and earth. A great wine drinking nicely right now but a few more years of bottle age would do no harm. This wine has a good five years ahead of it at a minimum.
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Deep garnet. Complex developing nose of dark plums, leather and game with nice violet high notes (didn't get the prunes noted below). Fresh satisfying palate with powdery grippy tannin, reasonably plush, high-acid middle palate and a solid finish. A very good wine, and one I'd buy again for the price i paid. Having said that, an 01 Bannockburn would do this trick for 1/3 the price.
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Very nice for Christmas Dinner. Elegance with underlying structure. Mature with some bricking on the edges. Hints of mint and herbaceous qualities with deep rose. It was what I was expecting from this vintage in the North. Very good but not great.
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Mature nose of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, plus raisiny fruit and prune. Medium-light bodied, high acidity and I wish there were more fruit and body. Smooth but tart finish.
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Friday Night in Toronto (10tation Catering): Served alongside the Chave and for my tastes was ultimately outmatched. Much deeper garnet in colour, with a nose offering up scents of raisins, prunes, a touch of blackberry, earth, leather, light caramel and pepper. On the palate, I found this to be a bit astringent, with medium plus acids and some tannin clipping the finish. Structure is still quite evident, but I don't see this getting any better due to the stewed character of the fruit. Showing worse than the last time I tried this wine.
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A Friday Night Toronto Wine Dinner: A fairly ripe and primary expression of Hermitage. Nose of raisins, bay leaf, and pepper, not much else. Palate is round and finished on harsh acid and alcohol with a medium finish. Didn't love this.
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Clos du Stavanger monthly tasting Oct. 2013 - 1998 horisontal (Stavanger, Norway): Wow! Sweet and stunning nose with blackberries and blueberries. Also iron minerals and some vanilla. Fresh, vibrant and perfect development so far. Keeps on improving with air. The palate is also stunning, with lots of fruit and concentration. Also lots of mature tannins. Stony minerality. Very long finish, and all is in perfect balance here. Really a fantastic wine that still seems to have upward potential.
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Another slightly above average showing of the '98 Hermitage, albeit better than the last one. Pristine cork pouring a dark ruby color, nose of heavy earth, cherry. Tinny and metallic on the palate, some VA, then earth, mushroom and dark fruit. Went well with some smoked seared tuna and mushrooms. Better than the 1997's but not as good as a recent 1995 bottle.
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Another disappointing showing for the 98 La Chapelle. Good mature nose revealing tobacco, earth and leather. Little to no fruit on palate and taste was flat. Short finish. Color still red but bricking. Not sure if this is just a product of bad storage or a dud vintage. Most of the other CT notes suggest the latter. 10 bottles left, will keep fingers crossed.
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Decanted and drank over two hours. A nose of earth, spice, black fruit and old wood. Thin and fairly compact on the palate. At times it seemed over ripe. Shorter finish. I expected more from this wine from this vintage.
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Mature, bricking. Earthy, mature nose with plum fruit, spice, some violet, and a ton of iron filling. Viscous, creamy palate, nice fruit, good acidity, tannins long gone. Long, balanced finish. Towards the very end of its lifespan, this scores outstanding on the mouthfeel and balance which is beautiful. Drink now
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I feared I waited too long, but this wine is still outstanding. Decanted for sediment and poured, drank over period of 2 hours and it lasted the whole time. Slightly orange in the glass. Nose of cedar, earh, leather and dark fruit. More of the same in the mouth, balanced with judicious acid and tannins. Beautiful finish. Delicate, perhaps on the verge of losing its structure, drink up this wine within 6 months with hearty but simple meat dishes.
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Northern Rhone WIMPS (The Ledbury, Notting Hill, London): Starting to lose focus at this point, but this was good but no more, with leathery dark fruit, notes of black pepper, quite ,polished on the palate but lacking a little zing and excitement. ***
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Drank this with Jimn - so generous, as always - and loved it. We pushed it up against a 2003 Hobbs Shiraz - same grape, different universe. But I loved the Jaboulet - it was both elegant and complex and should be consumed while it is this good.
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Wednesday, again... (Dave's House): Decanted quickly for sediment and served immediately. On the nose, this was almost entirely tertiary, showing mild notes of currant, but more decomposing leaves, earth, and leather. On the palate, like notes, with fully resolved tannin and moderate acidity. My first guess here was a late 80s early 90s Rhone. Shocked to see that this was only a 1998, and that the cork was pristine. Based on this tasting, this would have been better 5 years ago, which is shocking, given the pedigree.
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Garnet appearance with brown edges at the glass; Light scent of darker fruit with leather, dry earth, and yes, alcohol; Taste of berry, leather, bacon, minerality, with tartness on the back palate. Still has sufficent fruit, acidity, and tannins to go another 5-10 years. Was a fabulous pairing with the first shortribs ever from my new BGE. Both were awesome!
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A very good, but not great wine. Opened two bottles, consistent notes. High fill levels, no leakage. Clear, bright, red. No real sign of age in the color. Wonderful nose, with red fruits and meaty aromas. Fine flavors of cherry, meat and tar. Flavors came up a bit short, though, and the wine was indeed slightly acerbic and lighter than I had expected based on the nose. None of this was a huge negative, and we did enjoy it with our meal, but this did bring down my score. (Decanted two hours)
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What a beautiful wine. Really nice balance of power, fruit and maturity. Lovely translucent red cherry in colour with definite orange bricking at the rim. Nose is also mature, smoked meat and stones, with notes of red cherry and currant lurking behind. Some tobacco and earth as well, nicely complex. Palate is lovely, powerful but with a lovely core of red cherry and currant sweetness, the finish lasts for ages even though it turns a little dry. Really looking forward to having this with dinner.
With some more air and dinner, upgrading to 94. Great wine.
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I had read that this wine could be on the decline and that it was more light bodied than one would expect of this producer and lineage. Having now had a bottle at Ned Towle's wine tasing last nite, I can say that I agree the wine was a tad light in terms of its body or viscosity BUT the intensity of fruit was very evident and quite a thrill. The wine was extremely well balanced, the tannins relatively soft and non-intrusive and the nose was of very lovely tar and tobacco aromas. The wine screamed of coffee beans on the front palatte, plenty of black pepper everywhere, had great mouthfeel, and showed overall great balance. The word that keeps coming back to me on reflection is 'intensity'. I wouldn't say the wine was overly extracted but the intensity of black fruit flavors was quite extraordinary. A great wine drinking nicely right now but a few more years of bottle age would do no harm. This wine has a good ten years ahead of it at a minimum. The wine of the nite at Ned's Rhone tasting if I may say so. I'm looking forward to drinking some more of these lovelies. Very curious now about the 99s in my cellar. Bravo!
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Had along with a Barolo to go with a rabbit, rosemary, olive stew. Delicious. I couldn't add much to what steffenpelz and redknife had to say below. If you're used to "shiraz" or Washington/California syrah, this won't be your cup of tea. But it's a benchmark Hermitage for me.
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A lot of strawberries in the bouquet and beside that minerals, pepper and slightly earthy impressions. Very juicy on the palate with good acidity and pleasant bitterness in the finish. Elegant typical northern Rhône style Syrah. Ready now and a future of several years.
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Stonehenge Cellar bottle, no sediments and lots of life is left in this very pleasurable Cote Rotie. Some air might help, but not so much. Asian spice nose, I love this wine.
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Much better than last time...roses, dust, and pepper on the nose. Hint of leather. Slightly tart red fruit and medium finish. Just enough structure. Ready now!
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Decanted one hr before for sediment. Outstanding old world syrah, brick colored edges with leather, very mild barnyard, black/ red berries and white pepper on the nose. On the palate the wine is smooth and elegant with cherries, blueberries, smoked meat and a 20-30 s finish. In a great spot now with potential for some improvement in 3-5 years
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. Profound, classic, gorgeous La Chapelle. Complex and so elegant, with layers of red fruit,pepper and mineral that build to a beautifully long finish. Fabulously smooth texture. Excellent
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This one isn't going to win you over with its fruit forward-ness. That said, this wine has amazing finesse, elegance, freshness, and yet, it is able to pack impressive intensity of flavor. Silky texture that's more reminiscent of Pinot Noir than Syrah. The nose is soaring out of the glass and olive tapenade, black pepper, dried herbs and blackberry are the primary flavors. There's a sappiness in this wine that I don't traditionally associate with Syrah, especially US Syrah. Finishes tremendously well and just a stunning bottle of wine. Although it is certainly a terrific food wine, this is actually a bottle that one can drink and ponder...an "intellectual wine". The only regret I have is that I don't own a case full of this.
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Wide open nose with elegant light, red fruit with darker notes of plum underneath. Some evolvement with forest floor, mushrooms and fruitcellar. Some raspberryliquor, liquorice and vanilla. Also hints of tar and smoke, but comes across as elegant rather than powerfull. On the palate quite lively with fresh acids and silky-soft, fine-grained tannins and low-key fuit. Lovely blance! The long finish has a hint of warmth, some white pepper and mature fruit. Beautiful! Probably at it's peak now. A great showing for this wine, quite a surprise!
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Beautiful wine in a great place right now. Silky mouth feel, just a bit of copper color forming on the edges, almost burgundian, but with a dash of spice and pepper. Still has life, but I don't think it is likely to improve.
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Dark garnet with a full expressive nose: sweet berry fruit and lovely smoky secondary aromas of polished saddle leather, ground coffee, thyme and cloves. Elegant and starting to resolve, but now still dense with concentrated sweet cherry fruit and big but ripe spicy tannins. Good depth on the mid-palate with iron and tobacco notes; the sweet fruit becomes almost candied with time in the glass. Plenty of time to drink these yet.
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La Chapelle is light ruby in color. With BBQ, earth, spice and kirsch and barnyard aromatics, the wine feels soft in the mouth. This wine has matured at a rapid pace for La Chapelle. The finish ends with jammy black raspberries, hints of steel and an off putting touch of greeness. I'd suggest drinking this sooner than later..
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Much better than my last bottle. Color fading a bit but fruit still soft. Some smokiness and tannins well integrated. If you have these I would think I would drink sooner rather than later.
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Inizialmente su toni selvatici stile cavallo, poi escono erbe quali rosmarino, menta, poi tante belle spezie, cannella, noce moscata. In bocca il tannino è morbido e dolce, forse un po' troppo semplice
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Light ruby in middle, brick red around the edges. Uneven, slow legs. Nose smokey, savoury, gamey, leather with just a hint of gingerbread. Palate of blackcurrants and violets, leathery with a hint of chocolate. Long, dry finish, tannins noticeable, but very well integrated. Lovely texture, full-bodied, powerful, masculine. Great with game birds (pheasant and grouse) on a cold, rainy English autumn evening.
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On a whim I cracked open a bottle,as I have a case and wanted to check how it was progressing. Decanted two hours. Beautifully meaty, earthy nose with hints of blackberry. Big, rounded tannins and good acidity. Ends quite richly. A much better wine than I thought it would be after reading various notes although I see the Wine Doctor rates it reasonably highly. Reckon it will improve with another few years in bottle but it is not bad now if a touch hard work.Went down well though with a steak on the braii. Very good/potentially excellent
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decanted for 1 hour, lots of sediments in the wine, it's getting mature as we speak. Tremendous effort, enjoyable, just give it some air. Bought more today, this wine never bores me.
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Corks: Syrah (Rossford, OH): Slight coffee color, quite brown. The nose has a lot of that duck-dipped-in-soy-sauce thing that I get on over-the-hill Bordeaux. On the palate, smooth, melted-away tannins, okish acidity. Slightly flabby. Sausage. Creamy. Nice, but over the hill. The dregs make this better, giving it a little more youthful structure.
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Strong olive on the nose; it makes way for the black pepper, blood, and earth. As much as I try not to use the term, umami is what pops into my head. The fruit here is blue and red - still quite prevalent. It's all golden on the rich, long finish. This is one of my favorite wines. I've had it about eight times in the last three years and it just keeps getting better.
The Greatest Pig Roast Ever?? (Chicagoland): From 1.5L Bottle. Much more vibrant nose than the 90 served alongside. Firm, spicy dark fruit, roasted meat, and earth on the nose. Frim fruits on the palate as well with a great mineral component. A lot of backbone to the wine. Moderate plus finish. Young and quite good.
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Leo's Blind Tasting Club - April (Tribeca Grill): In contrast to the 1990, I'm certain I enjoyed this more than most. It is still rather primary and would have seemed new world if I hadn't known otherwise. Ripe fruit, round on the palate. Darker fruits. Really nice.
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Wine Club: Pinot (Bowling Green, OH): Truly interesting wine. The nose is absolutely incredible - hot dog, hair perm and green olives for days. On the palate, it's fairly thin, which pulls it back from being a truly world-class wine, but that's being picky. Nice.
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This was rather good - round, warm, toasty and spicy but with plenty of finesse. A little dusty on the mid-palate. The surprise here is that I found it almost too ready for an Hermitage from a well respected vintage. Good concentration and a certain sweetness on the finish which is of good length and very round. Accessible, ripe and well made but how long will it last? Another 5 years? 10? Longer? Tough call...
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Interesting nose and palate - sweet plum skins, orange peel and red fruit cut through with a more fungal and animalistic funk. Actually a lot softer than I was expecting - probably could do with more tannic structure to balance off the sweetness. Good stuff though that is 10 years from being ready.
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Lovely mid-weight Syrah that has some nice leather and tar development mixing it up with floral and berry notes but will never drink like Mr Leve's recent 61.
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NSMFOW December '09--BYO Yankee Swap (The Grapevine, Salem, MA): Purple color with some lightening at the rim. Nose of sweet dark fruits, herbs, earth. Palate very smooth with blackberry, plum, spice, some tar and earth. Tannins sweet. Near perfect balance. More elegant than powerful. Some even felt it was Pinot-like. Nice wine.
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1997 Ornellaia - Beautiful, sublime, sexy wine. Drinking incredibly well. Impeccable balance. 1997 Pavie-Macquin - despite what one might think of the 1997 vintage in Bordeaux, this wine was brilliant. 1997 Beringer Private Reserve - A perennial favourite. 1997 Lafite Rothschild - A barnyardy nose, which blew off with time. Great pedigree and structure. Lay down for 5 years.
1991 Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque - my personal favourite of the tasting. A brilliant, complete wine - my favourite wine ever! 1998 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde - a beautifully made, delicious wine. 1998 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle - Probably the only really good La Chapelle made since the 1990 in my view. 1996 Chateau de Fonsalette Reserve Cuvee Syrah - my second favourite of the flight. Deep, dark, sweet, thick, amazing.
All wines showed beautifully, and were drinking well.
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Zeegirl on 10/1/2008 nailed it. Got better and better with time in the glass, complexity was enormous and now I MUST find it in the stores. If you like Northern Rhone, don't miss this beauty.
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Funky and tart upon opening, this did actually open up pretty well. I wouldn't drink it straight (tart), but with food (roast beef, tomatoes), it worked OK.
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Nose of blackberry liqueur, bacon and spice. Medium bodied palate with a bit of earthiness, well balanced with lots of fine tannins lingering on the finish. Lots of life left. She who likes Barolos liked this wine a lot.
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Medium body wine with somewhat thin mouthfeel. Ribe berry fruit still prominent on palate and short finish. Drank over several hours, and improved with time to open up.
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Medium intensity in the glass with a ruby/garnet core. Reasonable intensity on the nose with a leathery spice, ripe red fruits and roasted red pepper. On the palate - medium to full-bodied with a savoury character and an appealing tartness. Should develop well over the long haul.
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Dark berries on the nose with some underbrush and a touch of leather. You can feel the youthfulness on the palate as the tannins are providing a solid backbone to the fruit while maintaining a nice balance and elegance. Could turn out to be a special bottle in the future. 91++
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Garnet colored almost brown. Nose shows signs of fatigue, though my glass was one with sediment, ash and plumm with black leather. Lean on the mouth with cooked and jammy fruit. Fruit has faded but the wine is still tannic. Drink up.
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After a couple of hours it opened up revealing anise, caramel, raspberries, smoked meat, and a hint of olive brine on the nose...a bit hollow mid-palate, but a nice long finish...tannins are resolved. Not sure if this will get any better with time. Give it a decant and drink up.
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The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Rich & Dana's): Color shows some age at the rim. Notes of red fruit, tobacco and spice box. Flavors of sweet red fruit, tobacco, spice and herbs, developing a beef jerky quality toward the end.
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Impression only from a restaurant dinner - Nice wine that developed well with time in the glass. After maybe half an hour, there's a distinctive nose with eucalyptus or menthol. Nicely weightless in the mouth, still has presence. Notes of plum with a hint of cooked fruit and earth. Nice balance of structure - while this isn't a blockbuster, the overall balance and mix of flavors make it a very nice wine with dinner.
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This wine is a conundrum because of the disparity between the tasting notes of RP vs. WS. Which makes it a great wine to talk about now that it has 10 years on it. Opened a magnum ( yeah I i know magnums take longer to mature) recently. Seemed a super flabby at the outset, but after some exposure to "N2 O2 Ar CO2" et. al. it really started to emerge in a surprising way that was quite complex and full of perfumed layers of flavor. I think it has surprises in store after alot more cellaring. Ain't gonna open my other magnum for at least 5 years or so.
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Hermitage La Chapelle, 10 vintages incl 1990. TWS Tasting (Merchant Taylors' Hall, London): Paler, hint of swimming pool on the nose. Quite light, some spice and fruit on the attack. Reasonably developed. Lacks complexity I think. Only moderate length. Structure is acidity dominated. Seemingly light. On revisiting this is quite deceptive - more to it than first seemed, but nonetheless I don't think this is one of the greats. ***
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Decanted for about 2 1/2 hours. Dark garnet color. Brash nose of cinnamon, leather, plums, and char. Medium-bodied with chiseled layers of deftly-defined brambly red fruits, spicecake, coffee, and mineral notes. I felt there was some refreshing acidity to the wine, plus filed off tannins and a truly lovely finish with some echoes of fruit and grip. A slight injection of oakiness did not detract. Delicious and complex charmer.
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Bright cherry red wine, with clear rim. Nose is of farmyard, pencil lead, & alcohol. Taste is pleasant, fruit forwardwith good acidity; sharp cherry & red fruits especially. Midling finish. Good overall, but not yet ready.
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Light brownish red, orange rim. Viscous tears form gothic arches in the glass. Very complex and distinctive, graphic nose: Herbs, pine and eucalyptus. Smoke, tar and liquorice. Slightly cooked dark fruit with some perfume. Overtones of violets and other flowers. Horse manure, gravel and undergrowth. Lean, smooth taste with fresh acids and softened tannins. Medium concentration and aftertaste. To our surprise it is not very powerful, instead a wine of great finesse, more like an elegant Côte-Rôtie. Ready to drink. Excellent with slow food.
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Similar to my previous bottle, not a classic Hermitage IMO as it has a wonderful delicateness to it. Pleasantly funky nose of cut hay, earth, and cherry. Ripe tartness on the palate makes this an excellent food wine, and with a dry aged rack of lamb lastnight this was fantastic.
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This wine is approaching maturity and shows all the lovely earthy funk of the vineyard. While not classically proportioned in terms of what this vineyard can produce, this was a delicious wine showing tons of character with pure earthy flavors with notes of beef and tobacco.
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The nose gives an exciting combination of aromas including dark fruit, roasted fruit, iron/mineral, sage, prune, raisin, game, smoke and coffee. A bit subdued. The mineral and sage components really stood out. In the mouth this is mid-weight and fiercely tannic. Flavors include dark fruit, chocolate, and iron/mineral and are pretty intense from attack through mid-palate before dissipating a bit at the finish. This could be due to the fine grain/drying tannins that dominate the finish, although I would guess it is more a result of the need for more fruit concentration. I struggle with rating this as there is so much going on with this wine (making it very fun to taste), but would ultimately rate it in the range 90-92 points.
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Some light cinnamon and spice notes. Light flavors and body - almost Burgundian. Rather subdued structurally as well, albeit with a firm acidic kick. Tastes like an older La Chapelle than the vintage would suggest. Just OK.
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BC-03029554; Pleasing subtle, light nose of black rasberry, mint, cherry, mineral. On the palate, less structure, but earthiness, slight blood, game, and violets, very little spice. Long mild cherry then olive finish. Tannins and acid in good balance, this wine ready to drink, but let it open!
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Decanted for 6 hours. Ruby color, nose of red fruits, leather and herbs. Bright palate, lots of acid without food this wine is lost. Very good wine, not what I was expecting from a relatively young Hermitage, but pleasant drinking.
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Robe brillante, légèrement évoluée. Beau nez complexe et élégant, révélant un vin travaillé. Notes de confiture, pointe de torréfaction, épices, une pointe de menthe et de violette. L'attaque est sur le poivre, la matière est élégante avec des tanins fins. Bonne persistance. Belle bouteille, mais pas exceptionnelle.
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Quickly evolving nose; light berries gave way to darker denser ones, then to aromas of dense earth, before shutiing down completely. Palate was tart and generally lacking. 50+4+13+13+6=86
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(at Charleston – Baltimore) Black raspberry, medicine and mint. Rich with a beef consume feel to it. Drinking well now, but will last a while. This was better than expected. (17)
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Dull red color with brown hue. Full nose of mushrooms, earthiness, blood, and ripe cherries. Soft full palate of green apples, with flavors of grilled meats, and strong, lingering finish of ripe fruit. I believe this wine could use another 3 to 4 years aging.
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Thin brownish-red color that is a little watery at the rim. The nose is wild and expressive, giving animal, blood, iron, mineral and extremely ripe fruit. Beautiful. Medium bodied. Good acidity. The palate impression starts slow but builds to a nice finish of mostly red fruit. Very smooth. Tannins are still present and drying. The nose shows far stronger than the taste. This is the first of five bottles purchased recently at auction, and I think this should develop nicely with additional bottle age.
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3/25/2024 - steveiiiiii wrote:
Four bottles over two years, all from great storage. The two most recent bottles have been very different from each other where the one before this was super elegant, fully mature, silky and extremly well balanced (94p). This however was dissapointment: Thight, tannic and quite bland. Over the four bottles only the first two was similar in development. To be continued..
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2/10/2024 - Rani Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind. It gave a lot of vanillla at first, and this combined with the acidity sent me to Spain. Lovely red fruit here, with floral overtones, very fine but persistent tannins. Only after 30 minutes in the glass did it exhibit some white pepper. Really good.
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12/30/2023 - rhyman Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for three hours. Drank smooth from the beginning. Smokey, briary, smooth with a small bite in the mid palate. Enjoyable, has a fre years left.
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12/1/2023 - Jd6725 Likes this wine: 95 Points
A wonderful showing of this wine. Extremely structured but unfurled with great fruit and spices. So lovely and complex, in a great spot right now even though I should have given it more air than I did. Well stored bottles are definitely a candidate for a decant.
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10/23/2023 - joshabramson wrote: 91 Points
Drinking pretty well, but definitely a bit dirty. Hard to tell how much of this was bottle variation vs. just the wine, but it wasn't obviously flawed in any way, just not particularly great.
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9/19/2023 - JulianSkeels wrote: 90 Points
Initially unimpressed - all tart red fruit. Only after dinner (4hrs later) did the nose start to show olive tapenade (I call it fruit salad sweets for those in the UK) and the mid-pallet start to fill out. This is only medium bodied but there seems more tannin than usual so it seems to be taking ages to open. I’d suggest to hold 5yrs but not too much longer - will then go downhill. I prefer the 96,97 and even 94. 90-92pts
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8/30/2023 - Bjb81 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose is cherry and cassis, savory smoked meat, sweet spices, tobacco
Palate is more dried dark fruit, smokey and earthy, vanilla, cedar
Light and lively, acidic, no heat at all, tannins fully integrated
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8/15/2023 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 95 Points
Supposedly a weak vintage for Hermitage? But drinking very well now. In fact the typical tannin and corse harsh tannin have been soften leaving behind aromatic notes of red and black fruits, leather, toast and spices. Medium acidity and medium tannin. Will not improve anymore. Drink up. Drank from magnum.
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7/22/2023 - steveiiiiii Likes this wine: 90 Points
Second bottle within a year, both very similar. Some bitterness on the nose but on palate it's light, fresh and elegant. Strawberry and cherry notes with a fine acidity (as others noted, quite Burgundian). Would say this is in decline now based on the bitter nose but still lovely.
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6/18/2023 - MRichman wrote:
This bottle is past prime, with some fading fruit, high acid, dried herbs. Lacks power or energy. Red fruit, long tight finish. It's an enjoyable bottle for fans of well aged wine, and for those folks there are several years left to go.
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6/16/2023 - jviz wrote: flawed
Heat damaged
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5/28/2023 - Eric wrote:
Dinner at Hamdi (Ballard, WA): Unlike the 1995, this was wide open and singing. Much lighter in color, almost Burgundian, it had wonderful, soaring secondary notes, smoky and meaty, lighter on the palate and framed well with excellent acidity. To me this is totally ready and delivering the goods right now.
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5/18/2023 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points
A vintage made right after the passing of Gérard Jaboulet (in 1997) but before the Freys purchased the domaine (in 2006). The fully destemmed fruit is sourced from estate vineyards in Bessards, Greffieux, Le Méal and Rocoules. Aged in partly new French oak casks. 13,5% alcohol.
Evolved, moderately translucent brick-red color. The nose feels savory and meaty - even a bit sweaty - with aromas of cooked red fruits, some earthy tones, a little bit of carrot purée, light briny notes of olives, a hint of blood, a touch of smoke and a faint sweet whiff of diacetyl. The wine feels dry, savory and crunchy on the palate with a medium body and intense, complex flavors of tart lingonberries, ripe raspberries and old leather, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of ferrous blood, light tertiary notes of wizened blackberries and meat stew, a hint of carrot purée and a smoky touch of bacon grease. The wine still retains quite a bit of structure with its high acidity and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is evolved, long and quite grippy with a meaty aftertaste of game and bacon grease, some leathery tones, a little bit of tart lingonberry, light sweeter notes of wizened raspberries and dried blackberries, a hint of earth and a touch of olive.
1998 is considered to be one of the weak vintages of Jaboulet La Chapelle - and this might be more obvious in a vertical tasting setting - but just as a wine on its own, this was a surprisingly enjoyable effort. Perhaps a bit evolved for its age, but still coming across as quite true to the region and the variety - something that doesn't seem to hold true for the more recent vintages of Jaboulet wines. This wine showed lovely and quite meaty flavors along with olive nuances and evolved tertiary fruit tones, supported with still rather firm and muscular structure. If the wine has been oaky in its youth, it certainly didn't show anymore. It's hard to see this wine evolving and improving much - or at all - from here, but at least the wine doesn't seem to be falling apart anytime soon, either. Drink or keep. This was a very enjoyable, fully mature Hermitage. The wine got zero points from the ten participants in our tasting, making it finish on shared last place.
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5/9/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Rhone Candidate dinner - Hermitage Theme (Essential by Christophe): Opened and let breath for maybe a few hours before serving but no decant. I wonder how that would have impacted the wine as it did seem much more youthful than some notes had projected. Drinking nicely though. Very gamey and structured and balanced. Touch of the floral side. It’s a bit heavier than the Chave again but worked nicely with the food. Bottle in great shape.
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4/2/2023 - liber wrote: 89 Points
Last of 12, decanted 30 minutes, perfect level, crumbly cork, some style in this good but not great vintage and some layering, just a bit dilute and short for my taste and a far cry from Jaboulet's previous high standards (indeed the 97 and 96 are to be preferred IMO), downside but no rush. VG+ (16.5).
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3/9/2023 - jviz wrote: 93 Points
Very nice showing for this. The last glass was best, and initially there were some vanilla wood tones that faded with air. I would recommend an hour decant at this point. The wine itself was in good shape, some library notes, red fruited, macerated strawberry and red plum, some meatiness. Structurally it’s resolved and has held up well. I’m happy to have another.
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3/4/2023 - Two Winos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decant, for sure. I decanted for about an hour (maybe a little more) and it was a completely different wine than I tasted on opening...in a good way. Full palate, rich and excellent with food.
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2/11/2023 - soyhead wrote:
lovely fresh red cherry fruit. drinks quite clean and if I didn't know better I might guess it to be a Burgundy.
—
After 48hours I came back to it and it had opened considerably gaining both heft and spice. In retrospect we should have given it a long decant
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12/30/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 94 Points
lots of meat/bacon and still fruity. Special bottle.
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12/30/2022 - Biggsy wrote: 92 Points
Lovely poise, in such a good place. Maybe a touch more fruit than the last bottle.
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12/6/2022 - Alc13%byvol Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decant. Decant. Decant.
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11/29/2022 - chablis28 wrote: 91 Points
Jimmy's btl at Chez Jimmy! A great feast of Lamb & Prime rib in the hands of one of our favorite local Greeks! I enjoyed a smaller pour of this near the end of the evening. Struck me as in the good place and very NR. I don't see this improving much though.
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11/10/2022 - acyso wrote: flawed
"The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Chicago, IL): Oxidized.
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10/17/2022 - juffer Likes this wine: 89 Points
Alex Bday. A bit herbal again in the nose. A bit more fruit forward and rounded than the earlier vintages. Doesn't strike me as quite as complex or interesting, even adjusting for age. Still very nice.
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10/2/2022 - Biggsy wrote: 91 Points
Maybe a touch cold on opening, but quite aromatic with dried herbs and a touch raisiny fruit. Like my last bottle - has a lovely mouthfeel with good acidity. It feels like it's in a lovely place with a good balance between the last remnants of bright fruit and those nice tertiary meaty, cigar smoke notes.
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8/17/2022 - dbkitc wrote: 86 Points
Have not had this in years. Frankly, it’s tired and close to being done. Classic aromas that are followed by a lean palate that seems like it’s going to fall apart soon. It’s enjoyable but just barely. (86)
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6/30/2022 - thesternowl wrote:
Rhône or Nôwhere 2022 (Malcom, Nebraska): Until Caroline Frey took over wine making responsibilities, “La Chapelle” was sort of known to me as a perennial underachiever with very few vintages in the last 40 years really meeting their potential. The late 90’s was perhaps the deepest point of the malaise. That being said, this bottle proves that the underpinnings were always there and I found it to be very enjoyable, if not quite on the level of the other examples of late-90’s Hermitage we enjoyed on the night. There is still quite a bit of life left.
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6/20/2022 - MarshallLi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really good on nose, medium plus mixed black and red cherry, earthy, forest floor, light vanilla, dry, medium acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium smooth tannin, long finish, not suitable ageing
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5/23/2022 - the player Likes this wine: 92 Points
At its peak and potentially the start of its decline. Blackish ruby red with bricking at the rim. decanted and drank over 90 minutes. Paired well with yellow cheeses. Nose earthy, meaty, smoky, hints of olive tapenade and plums, mushrooms, lots of tertiary aromas reflected on the palate. Acidity beginning to wane, tannins fully resolved, decent length and medium bodied. Enjoyable but not flabbergasting.
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5/2/2022 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Pausing for the Cause 2022 (Chicago, IL): From magnum. For a change, a bottle of La Chapelle that's actually decent. Surprisingly clean without any off notes, though there might have been a smidgen of volatile acidity here. Beautifully clean black fruit on the palate, but this still lacks the salinity and brine notes that I love in my syrah, even though there are a few smoky tones here.
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5/1/2022 - mukden wrote: 91 Points
YES YES. Agree with the assessments that this is at the end of its peak; but really very nice ; characteristic N Rhone 2nd-ary development. You can tell that this was never a blockbuster ; the colour is quite light and browning now. But lovely nose and taste in the mouth is great ; drink up and enjoy. Lovely stuff.
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2/16/2022 - vintage_whine wrote:
At the end of peak drinking. Candied cherry. Meaty broth and mushrooms, reduced sulfur and savory, but barely holding on to freshness
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1/11/2022 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Only needs a 20 min decant. Fully mature, in prime, nice balance and finish. No upside, nice balance and finish; should not be paired with steak, ideally fish and chicken. This wine will be overpowered by any heavy dish.
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9/27/2021 - Morpheus Qiu Likes this wine: 95 Points
非常完美的condition
甜美的蓝莓果酱,混杂着浓郁的香料味、白胡椒、皮革和矿物的气息
口感层次清晰有力,集中度高,结构巨大。口感丝滑
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9/3/2021 - lafish Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped about 90’minutes, and let it breath in the glass for about 30. Didn’t decant… didn’t need to.
Definitely had that northern rhone funk, but it was soft and subtle. This was elegant. It’s peaking now… drink up.
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8/27/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Served to us double blind. Pleasant black fruit with faint roasted meat, earth and a bit of cooked mushroom and barnyard, all with good weight.
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7/10/2021 - SB5784 Likes this wine: 95 Points
From memory. Drank against ‘98 St. Joseph which, while excellent, didn’t compare. This is in a terrific place. Opened up beautifully over the course of a few hours. Black fruits, earth, game, and quite floral. Great mineral notes and acid backbone. Tannins were integrated and balanced. Just a great wine in a really nice spot right now. No signs of slowing down either.
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5/15/2021 - Biggsy wrote: 93 Points
The nose is a little restrained - Black fruits, dried meat, herbs and leather. The palate is vibrant with Ripe black fruits, spice and a hint of what I’m calling cigar ash. Lovely mouthfeel and balance. Just feels right. Fine tannins. Bit of grip left. Good length. Via Coravin.
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4/3/2021 - Ricky99 wrote: 95 Points
Best wine I’ve had in 2 years. Double decanted, which awakened the sexiest Rhône wine I’ve ever had... nose was beautiful roasted sunlight and earth... silky tannic structure with pretty warm fruits.. wow.
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2/12/2021 - empire80 Likes this wine: 93 Points
A lovely bottle, very fresh, still some backbone, a broad spectrum of fruit and savoury flavours, cherry, kirsch, olive, a hint of meat, some herbs. Very complete.
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1/14/2021 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 94 Points
Garnet yellowish rim, obvious tannin sediments. Immediate nostalgic nose of old leather, smoky, sweet black and red currants and cherries, black olives, farmyard, grilled nuts, savoury and game. Stunningly Burgundian transparent palate, wet stone minerals, mid weight, expanding mid palate with good grip. Plummy leathery, tarry and smoky. Every sip is so enjoyable. Velvet and at peak now. Classic elegant expression of Hermitage Chapelle in this vintage 1998.
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12/4/2020 - stayhappy21 wrote: 92 Points
Drank this at a mate's place for wine dinner. Theme of the evening: wines from the 90s.
Red in colour, with a matured nose and palate, with spices, cloves, cinnamon, cheese, mushrooms, wet forest floor, vanilla and aged leather.
With all the elements in place, this wine is drinking beautifully at this stage; harmonious, silky and simply a pleasure.
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11/25/2020 - rlove wrote: 92 Points
I have a mixed take on Jaboulet who certainly is not a favored Northern Rhône producer but nonetheless has produced several beautiful Hermitage La Chapelle vintages such as the incredible 1961 and 1978 and more recently 1990 and this 1998 which shows a rather Burgundian nose of raspberry, sous bois, Chinese five spice, and surprisingly a bit of fresh cedar I have not noted in past bottles. Medium body, soft tannins, bright acidity.
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11/24/2020 - mdanyc Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted three hours, then drank over two hours. Honestly it remained fairly muted to me most of the evening. Disappointing.
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11/20/2020 - 911henrik wrote: 95 Points
Brilliant, the best bottle of all 1998s I have ever had. Fresh fruit, unbelievable. Drinks so well now!!
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10/24/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful perfumed nose. Nice freshness and acidity. Secondary development with brambly forest floor, mushrooms and prune notes. Medium body with melted tannins far in the background giving this a very pleasant mouthfeel. Takes some time in the glass to come into its own.
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10/20/2020 - SixHedgehogs wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for three hours. Dark, but fading, red colour. Complex woody/spirity nose. Curranty flavour, much oak and aromatic complexity. Plush tannins. Really austere and rich. Magnificent with roast pheasant.
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10/14/2020 - vinero Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of the most famous wines from the Hermitage appelation. 1998 in this case. In the glass mid purple. Quite a nice nose. The wine itself opens with a strong acid backbone and gives fruit, some spice, liquorace and a touch of plum. The finish is very long, a bit sharp and with a touch of tannins left. Overall great drinking, if you like a mature wine. Very well preserved, this can go for many more years.
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9/13/2020 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfect cork after 22 years. Color showing some age. Took a while to open up - should have decanted it. Once it opened, pepper, cherry, olives, earth, lovely fruit. Very integrated tannins. Acidity still nice. Drank from a 750. Still has lots of life left, but drinking beautifully now.
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7/31/2020 - matthew.gluth wrote: 92 Points
Soft but complex, with blackberry and leather notes. Berry at the front, fading to earth.
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7/16/2020 - jdesimone4 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Opened up nicely after decanting but past its prime no doubt
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7/15/2020 - Turn Likes this wine: 94 Points
Red-brown color. Fine, but complex nose with prune, Robusta coffee beans, forest floor, meat and Maggiweed. Fine tannins, and a medium/full body. The wine has a very smooth texture, medium acidity and finishes long. A pleasure! Drink now.
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5/29/2020 - 911henrik wrote: 90 Points
No time to waste. Drink ASAP.
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3/18/2020 - Wino133 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drunk from a magnum at Christmas. Really at its prime now - decanted for an hour just because. I suspect bottles are past it, but the magnum was beautiful. Lots of secondary notes, went down really well with roast turkey for Christmas dinner.
One last bottle to go
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2/24/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
Nicely balanced with great freshness and acidity. A huge contrast next to the Alban Reva and Amon Ra which were much more black-fruit driven. Red fruit with sour cherries and roses. Very elegant.
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2/23/2020 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Northern Rhones (Lela, Bloomington MN): Very dark red color. Small glass, brief note. Vanilla, baked cherry, grainy, gravel, dark fruits.
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2/19/2020 - the player Likes this wine: 94 Points
I might rate this wine higher on my next tasting but this was a stunner and such good value at the price point. Decanted and aerated for 90 minutes which is what the wine needed to open up. Nose of red and black fruits, meat, spices, olive tapenade. On the palate very rich, starts slowly and builds up in complexity to reflect an awesome structure, nice complexity and balance. Medium to full bodied, this deep ruby colored wine finishes long with tannins fully integrated and ripe. This wine is mature and ready for business
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2/18/2020 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Olives, red fruit, mushrooms, blood orange, and savory notes on the nose. Good acidity, integrated tannins, red berries, and thyme on the palate. Long, lingering finish. Tasted side-by-side with the 99 and while both were good, they were quite different and I preferred the 98 (brighter, more nuanced).
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2/15/2020 - DoubleMagnum Likes this wine: 93 Points
No formal notes taken.
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1/27/2020 - ShadowIII Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dinner with blind tasting of Syrahs (Fonsalette Syrah, Bionic Frog, Ares, Alban, Saxum, L'Ermite, Ex Voto, La Landonne) this was a standout, Majority WOTN. Extraordinary complexity, elegance coupled with power, cherry, dark fruits, pepper, leather, spice, integrated tannins, long finish
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1/14/2020 - rogerr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Matured nicely and I think in a good drinking point (I don't think it will improve with age.) Agree with other recent notes.
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11/23/2019 - llindahl Likes this wine: 95 Points
Red cherry and strawberry and some beautiful mature oak and stable. The acidity is still fresh and make the wine wonderfully refreshing
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11/22/2019 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Tannins are quite soft, red fruit is ample and showing secondary development. Improves substantially with air, the initial funkiness on the nose is replaced by fruits and enticing spices.
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11/17/2019 - lambomiura Likes this wine: 97 Points
Vin d’anthologie. Décanté 3 heures avant souper. Nez complexe, prune à l’ouverture puis poivre, cassis, cuir, réglisse, tabac à la fin. Tannins fondus. Complexe et long. Encore puissant . Probablement à son apogée, peut tenir la route encore longtemps. Heureusement il en reste. Parfait avec côtelettes d’agneau sautées à l’ail puis tomme fruitée rustique. Je ne boirais que cela..
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9/21/2019 - beatles wrote: 92 Points
Dry and classy. Very sound, healthy fruit, quite light an elegant for the genre, certainly better than expected. Received much praise around the table. A point, I think, but no signs of fatigue
#CP#Jean-Luc
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9/18/2019 - SixHedgehogs wrote: 88 Points
This was an aged, smooth, woody and delicious wine with good fruit tones. But I wonder if I decanted it for long enough. Is an hour enough for Hermitage?
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8/22/2019 - "Rhône Rider" wrote: 88 Points
solbær, plomme. Uren frukt, grumsete og flabby. bra struktur. Ingen stor vin i meget bra årgang, og understreker Jaboulet sine kvalitetsproblemer sent 90 tall og tidlig 2000-tall. 87-88
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6/23/2019 - ddingley Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still drinking fine although it's possible it's on a downward slope. Very minimal tannins but enough structure to hold together the interesting Rhone flavors
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6/21/2019 - Mrp2008 wrote:
DOA
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4/13/2019 - Rani Likes this wine: 95 Points
Unbelievable nose. Dark berries, bacon, great acidity. Mushrooms, earth, great core of black fruit. Great now.
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4/12/2019 - dnnk88 wrote: 91 Points
Aroma of sour currants and flowers. Tasted red currant, blood iron. Slightly dry. This gets much better after 1 hour of decanting - developed floral and cassis palate with slight tinge of honey. Enjoyable and easy drinking. This should get better with more time.
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3/20/2019 - Vinophil2000 wrote: 87 Points
Auf der Prowein 2019 probiert. Aus der Magnum. Vielleicht war diese Flasche schon seit 1-2 Tagen offen. Was mir ingeschänkt wurde. War, weich und brav. Unter 90 Punkte. Nicht mein Fall, vermutlich zu lange offen oder nicht mein Fall?!
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2/10/2019 - Ricky99 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very earrthy and funky at open, one full hour of decant turned that out and revealed a beautiful Rhone wine full of complexity and style
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1/23/2019 - Rico100 wrote: 95 Points
Delicious. Nice rusty color but great nose even when decanting. Very smooth. Wonderful.
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12/30/2018 - Turn Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine does not need to much air, it is getting old.
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12/24/2018 - HENNO1 wrote: 93 Points
I’ve drunk a few from the case I have and they have won me over with age. Drinking well but still plenty left in the locker. Dark fruits, jammy, tobacco, liquorice ..... Christmas in a glass. Lovely. At the price point I think this is reasonable value
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11/22/2018 - rlove wrote: 94 Points
On first pop this displays a gorgeous nose of earthy truffle before transitioning to red currant, black olive, and white pepper. Earthy flavors on the palate are supported by soaring acidity and soft, resolving tannins. The 1998 Hermitage La Chapelle is special. Drink through 2025. (Cellar rerelease from winery)
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11/22/2018 - Rani Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted blind next to the 1996. Tons of barnyard on the nose, in a good way. Seemed more mature than the 1997, but also more interesting and tasty. Layers of red fruit here with figs, mud and beef stew. Very nice acidity and soft tannins. Really nice now.
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10/27/2018 - mistermags Likes this wine: 91 Points
From 75cl bottle. 1st of 6. A revelation. Previously sampled from Coravin. Wine lacked body and appeared past its best. This time opened and decanted two hours before drinking. Nose still a bit funky but much heavier mouthfeel. Good fruit. Long finish. 91/92
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10/20/2018 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle, while still great,did not provide as much pleasure as previous ones. It felt slightly rough and a bit austere. Still very much enjoyable though. Nose of Tobacco, charcuteries, light olive brine, quite light fruit, more red than black. On the palate also elegant with quite a lot of herbs and stems in the mix. Fruit light and a bit too subdued. Good mineral feeling. Good lenght.
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8/13/2018 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle Dinner (1978, '82, '83, '85, '88, '90, '95, '97, '98, '99, 09) (Taberna, Bukit Merah): A step up from the bottle I had 4 years back - this is starting to show decently well. It started with a deeper nose than on the 1999 on the same flight, and was perhaps better for that. This showed a lovely breath of earth and meat and savoury sour plums layered beneath sweeter notes of plums and blueberries - a lovely bouquet seasoned with a bit of fragrant spice. The palate was stronger than the 1999 as well (if not quite on par with the 1997), with a blush of spice and a chew of fine, brambly tannins framing juicy notes of blueberry and black cherries. The finish haf a twist of bittersweet herb and just that tiny hint of astringency picked up on the 1999, but this was certainly a stronger showing. An elegant wine, charming, but still a bit tight and also lacking a touch of depth. This would be interesting to try in another 4-5 years down the road.
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6/28/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
By far the best showing of my three bottles from Garagiste. Not sure why the others were so flabby but this was deep, delicate, integrated and beautiful. Classic old-world Rhone.
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6/10/2018 - Rezy13 wrote:
Mag Dinner Pampas Steakhouse: From magnum; while this was very nice in the way it was screaming Northern Rhone Syrah with its black olive, intensely ferrous minerality, and somewhat angular acid, this lacked some mid palate weight and stuffing to be great.
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6/10/2018 - djlevin Likes this wine: 96 Points
Five Vintages of Jaboulet La Chapelle (Sonoita, AZ): This wine was second on my list. Very fruity nose with noticeable alcohol. The flavors/aromas were more intense, as if moving back towards the 80’s vintages. This was the first wine with a touch of menthol on the palate. Nice dark chocolate component with a very long finish. The structure showed high tannins and high acidity, but had enough fruit to balance this approach to a bigger style wine. This wasn’t the same kind of wine as the 80’s vintages, but excellent in its own right. This is balanced enough to actually improve with more bottle age. Perhaps a drinking window of 2016 – 2026, with the best years to enjoy in the early 2020’s.
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5/2/2018 - Raizes Likes this wine: 93 Points
李子和黑樱桃的果味开始让位给陈年的泥土和菌菇气息,香料气息偏甜腻浓烈,但因为酸度保持的很好,所以平衡没有被陈年变化所打破。单宁柔细,口感集中且结构依然宽广。通过鼻腔寻求复杂的香气层次很难,但是喝起来的质感很好,已经到了无需等待的时刻。
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4/13/2018 - SonnyChiba wrote: 94 Points
Excellent wine and drinking great at the moment. Classic northern Rhône Syrah, with a mix of dark fruit, spice, beefy notes. Balanced, ultra smooth on the palate. Really enjoyed this one.
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3/31/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
P. Jaboulet Aine - Hermitage la Chapelle 1995-2015: During a merchant tasting. Medium tawny. Also here nose of rum pot, port, pepper, more balanced than the 1995, some smoke and leather as well. Rich and ripe palate just like the 95, 99 and 06. Good but I wished for a bit more freshness and structure for a higher score. Drink up.
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3/29/2018 - travelin.mikeyt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely fantastic. Drinking well right now. Does not need a decant other than a fair amount of sediment. Classic Northern Rhône Syrah.
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3/2/2018 - 911henrik wrote: 78 Points
Now over the top. Too bad I have 6 left.
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3/1/2018 - Dehrmann Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ami Louis 2nd wine after 06 Guigal Ex Voto...still very fresh, bright, real Syrah nose, dark, meaty and more refined than guigal but not as refined as other years
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2/25/2018 - wjadada Likes this wine:
Drinks remarkably well but doesn't last. Old
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2/19/2018 - Ricky99 wrote: 92 Points
Pretty as can be.. drinking well
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2/8/2018 - danielk168 wrote: 90 Points
classic stuff, while pleasing lacks complexity in my opinion, and quite expensive for what you get, many other choices for the same price.
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1/5/2018 - Blake Brown Likes this wine:
1998 JABOULET LA CHAPELLE HERMITAGE- medium dark purple colour; contrary to past comparisons, I liked this better than the 97`; there was more pepper and spice especially in the taste; liquorice and red currant were most evident; it had medium to full body and long finish with a pepper trail.
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12/27/2017 - HENNO1 wrote: 91 Points
Could be 92. Drunk with la chapelle 96 which won it by a nose. Very very nice
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10/7/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind (Chevalier Fine Wines - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. Lots of black fruit with black pepper. Came across as very Northern Rhone, but in a rustic manner, so I didn't think it Hermitage.
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10/2/2017 - rlove wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous and perfectly balanced, with a nose of Burgundian sous bois, red currant, and black olive. Earth on the palate, with soft tannins, fresh acidity, and a beguiling weightless. The only detraction is an absurd amount of sediment—this is worth standing up a few days before opening. (Cellar rerelease from winery)
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10/2/2017 - RISM Likes this wine: 94 Points
Looking back at what Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson wrote about this wine in the early- and mid- 2000's respectively, they could hardly have had more different views, both as to quality, and as to potential longevity. As it so happens, I followed Parker's advice and cellared this wine well beyond the 2013 that Jancis predicted as the outer-limit of its range, and I have to say, with each bottle I drink, this wine gets better and better. The bouquet straight out of the bottle (before decanting) is simply exquisite - smokey and gamey, with violets and blackberries, saddle leather, gingerbread and a hint of cinnamon. The palate, straight out of the bottle is lively, fruity (the violets and black fruit ever-present), structured, with grip and well-integrated tannins (anything but fading or insipid !), but decant for two hours and the softer side of this wine emerges - full, round, less strident, more subtle and silky, more complexity and finesse. I have to say, Parker won this round (sorry Jancis !).
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9/13/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
So I really liked it, but I'll be honest that I didn't feel like it quite lived up to the bottles of this that we've had lately. Felt like this one was a bit more on the back-end of the journey. Fruit mostly faded and so lots of leather and and a musty character to it. Some of this was blowing off with time (I wonder if a decant might have opened it up some and a bit faster), but overall I think this was good, not great and I've had some great ones of these.
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8/26/2017 - Rani Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ripe nose of purple fruit compote and hung meat. Hint of olives. Great acidity, hardly any pepper, elegant and fun to drink but probably at peak or a little after.
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8/21/2017 - Quiet Lion Does not like this wine: 92 Points
Second of three bottles from Garagiste. I gave this one a two-hour decant based on other notes. The wine was tart with secondary fruit, monolithic and uninteresting but drinkable.
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7/29/2017 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 92 Points
Yet Another Wine Group Hermitage Tasting: This is good. Pungent & complex nose of cake spices, molasses, some secondary stewed aromas. This is still very young with crunchy tannin & lingering mouth swirling acidity.
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7/28/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Opened and decanted. Didn't take detailed notes, but this is very much in a good drinking window now. Well aged. Fruit faded more, but so it goes. Still delicious.
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6/29/2017 - ovenmitt wrote: 92 Points
Much better than previous bottle... still giving green notes when first opened but after some air time it developed nice red fruit with spicy pepper notes. Much lighter and less complex than the Chave we drank before it. Very nice - thinking it is probably in a good window now.
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6/17/2017 - lifebreath Likes this wine: 92 Points
Exotic spices and pepper over red fruit core and a hint of smoked meat with a twisty finish. Yummy.
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6/17/2017 - rlove wrote: 94 Points
Just gorgeous and improbably balanced today, with a Burgundian nose of earthy, smokey sous bois mixing with red currant and black olive. On the palate, huge flavors of red fruit and earth, yet a plush texture, soft tannins, and fresh acidity give this an ethereal weightless. The 1998 La Chapelle is stunning today. (Cellar rerelease from winery)
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6/13/2017 - petec-s Likes this wine: 94 Points
This showed beautifully, perfect now, Burgundy like bouquet, super refined palate, lean yet rich and satisfyingly earthy, deep savoury wine, very fine indeed.
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5/24/2017 - Ericsson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Au restaurant. Magnum ouvert la veille...
Robe tuilée, nez sur le cuir, la viande séchée, la bouche est souple mais bien structurée, belle longueur. Assez impressionnant.
A boire.
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5/16/2017 - vespasian wrote:
Showing more development on the rim; leathery nose. A little attenuated coming after the 2003. Some red fruits here. Quite light on the palate. Tastes older. A little short.
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3/18/2017 - nilseliasson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinks beautifully now. Wonderful perfume on the noes. Leather, cured meat, forest floor and pepper. Light and elegant. Simply delightful!
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3/3/2017 - rlove wrote: 95 Points
Wow this is in a perfect place right now. Red currant, green & black olive, and smoke are some of the notes on the gorgeous nose. Savory and intense, yet seemingly weightless on the palate, with fine, soft tannins and fresh acidity. The 1998 La Chapelle is superb. (Cellar rerelease from winery)
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2/10/2017 - dpolivy wrote:
Vindredi (Hermitage vs Cote Rotie, and friends) (Bellevue, WA): Smoked meats, leather and spice. Lovely secondary notes, showing some aged leather, dried herbs, and soft tannins. Nicely balanced. I wouldn't wait much longer.
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1/15/2017 - fine137 wrote: 92 Points
Fully mature, maybe just past. Tannins are fully resolved, not much fruit at this point, but lots of secondary and tertiary flavors which constantly change as it sits in the glass. This was probably never a blockbuster and I don't think it's going there either. Update, after 2 hours in the decanter, the wine has really opened up, more fruit, more Syrah character, lovely. Raising the score a bit.
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1/10/2017 - JOsgood wrote:
This was nice with a rich and dense palate. Not a wow wine for me, just a nice relatively mature Hermitage. Not a big fan of this style personally.
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1/8/2017 - We Can Share the Wine Does not like this wine:
It was off
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12/14/2016 - norsktorsk wrote: 93 Points
This wine is drinking at a great place right now.
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12/3/2016 - TGLeroy Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very tight cork, some bricking, wonderful out of the gate, but the last glass at 4 hrs of air was the best, the really fruit began to sing. A beautiful wine with all the appropriate Northern Rhone signatures. Drinking well now. 93+
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11/12/2016 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep, dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Forward, fragrant & attractive nose of complex, ripe fruit aromas of red cherries, strawberries & kirsch with overtones of sous-bois, earthy/dusty & floral notes of violets, dried herbs, notes of mint, anise & truffles, spice notes, pepper, olives, aged leather, tar, minerals, cocoa, smoky and a hint of meaty undertones in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, complex, ripe fruit flavors of strawberries, red cherries & plums with pepper, savory spices & dried herbs, earthy, mushrooms, minerals & a touch of oak. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present & has some limited potential for further development with additional aging.
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10/22/2016 - liber Likes this wine: 90 Points
7th of 12 bottles and 3 magnums, decanted 40 minutes, perfect cork and level - medium deep red, browning rim; plums, cherry, earth, slightly vegetal, green peppercorn, hint of violet and smoke; fullish, quite long though fades on exit, slightly dusty tannins, slightly dilute, been fully mature for about two years, more pleasurable with a beef stew than my note would indicate, but still a disappointment for Chapelle in the context of vintage and relative to past vintages including the superior 97 and 95, hardly great vintages! VGI (17).
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10/9/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Northern Rhone (Tilia, Mpls): Very dark red/purple color. Drank a small pour over 15 minutes. I didn't write down any detailed notes on this. But it was Dave's bottle from the other table and it was one of the highlights. Showing good balance, a nice savory element, with roasted meats, dark red fruits and nice tannins. 91+ to 92pts.
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9/29/2016 - Bob Sacamano Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted about 90 min before serving. Very fragrant nose displaying earth, iron, sweet spice, and a trace of cool mint/ginger. On the palate though, just OK. Still some fresh, crisp acidity, but fruit was very muted and felt thin, maybe even a touch angular. 95 by the nose, 89 by the palate, and 92 overall.
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9/2/2016 - Quiet Lion wrote: 92 Points
From Garagiste - a rare disappointment. Soft and faded, it was a nice $35 bottle, but unfortunately it cost $95.
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7/16/2016 - silton Likes this wine: 93 Points
A great bottle: a harmonious and expressive wine, balancing savory elements against the remaining fruit, one that had me constantly reaching for more with and without food. Raspberry reduction and peppercorn gravy in an elegant frame. If anything, this put on weight over the hour it was open, but I'm in the drink now while the drinking is good camp.
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7/13/2016 - ddingley Likes this wine: 93 Points
Elegant used a lot here for good reason--it tastes a bit fragile with age but still delicious. Very complex with different flavors emerging over the two plus hours it was open. This was allegedly perfect provenance straight from the winery, and still I wouldn't hold that much longer.
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6/17/2016 - BBencz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still going strong. Solid structure; fruit up front. Elegant and well done.
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6/17/2016 - Tubulus wrote:
This needed a good hour or two to open, but was then quite good. Very elegant.
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5/6/2016 - morpheusrising Likes this wine: 93 Points
MUCH better than we anticipated for being so young. Love how 18 is young for Syrah.
Concentrated, but elegant. Perfumed with a bit of petrol, saddle leather, dark fruit, and a bit of barnyard. Opens up fabulously quick, but began to close back down after about 1.5 hours.
Flavored were as expected from a top-quality Syrah. Dark berries, leather, roasted meats, and a bit of vanilla and white pepper to round things out. Really elegant and refined. The flavored are still a bit staccato, but they are beginning to meld together nicely. Again, this was upon opening and after about 1.5 hours it all began to shut down.
This wine is going to be amazing, but it needs time. Feels like we're at the end of a sleepy period for it and it's fighting to come back to life. I expect that the remaining bottles will begin to really shine in another 5 years or so and will likely plateau for a few decades after that.
Note: This was from a private cellar in France just dust down the road from the chateau. This was not from the regular importation to the US, which I've tasted and was not nearly as good as this bottle.
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4/23/2016 - Der Weingelehrte wrote: 94 Points
Really gorgeous stuff. In a prime drinking spot now, no need to wait. This bottle had damn near perfect provenance. Other bottles of the 1998 that have been in the market for the last decade (+) don't typically seem to show quite as well.
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4/17/2016 - GeorgeSW wrote: 93 Points
A very good bottle, decanted for 1 hour. Definitely showing its age, brickish around the edges, stewed fruit . Went very well with assorted cheeses
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4/12/2016 - BBencz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Right at the crossroads between old and new. One hour decant, followed by pours through a Vinturi. Medium garnet color with a tiny bit of bricking. Herby and floral nose. Flavors of bright red fruit and a touch of leather. Light tannins still evident, along with juicy acidity. Am drinking these now.
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4/10/2016 - acidqueen wrote: 75 Points
I give up. This wine is just way over the hill and is not a pleasure to drink. I keep hearing that there were different bottlings of this, so maybe mine were the wrong ones, because they are all unpleasant. Tart, thin and limited flavors. I tried leaving one open for 6 hours to see if that helped, and there were a few moments of black olive and leather that disappeared. My last bottles went down the drain - not even good enough for cooking and I need the room in my cellar.
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4/2/2016 - galenico wrote: 90 Points
RODANO AIS TORINO: Da Magnum. Naso stratificato, gentile e terziarizzato, ma molto complesso.
Ha un profilo fungino e terroso da vecchio Barolo. La parte acida e salmastra si sente già nel naso e prelude a un sorso scarno e sottile in cui l' acidità gioca troppo in primo piano, sospinta dalla mancanza di materia.
Forse bottiglia un pò più evoluta del normale e finale un pò magro, quasi annacquato.
Molto meglio al naso che in bocca.
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3/23/2016 - ovenmitt wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for a short time - not what I would expect from this wine. Enjoyable, but a bit thin. Fruit is bright with some green notes. Forward acidity and lacking complexity and balance.... Having said all of that (and being critical for the price paid) it was still enjoyable to drink.
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3/5/2016 - Ricky99 wrote: 91 Points
decanted for 20 minutes... really dumb on first look/smell/taste... opened up a bit but surprised not more balanced.
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2/28/2016 - yofog wrote:
Sweaty pruney fruit on the nose. Amber color turning to brown. Watery palate with not much grip left to speak of. "Old wine" of little interest. Very disappointing.
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1/23/2016 - Rani Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Ripe nose of brambly fruit, bacon and black pepper. Rich yet cool, but open for business. Excellent now.
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11/28/2015 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Our house): Dusty color, obviously older. Aromas of red berry fruit, slight sour cherry note, dried herbs and roasted meats. Integrated and balanced, with flavors of meat, red berry fruit and holiday spices. Finishes well with hints of white pepper and meat. Easy to pick out as old world Syrah, though besides me, only the person who brought it thought so. Drink now.
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11/1/2015 - Rich.Herbs Likes this wine:
Decanted and drank during a long diner of skirt steak and fall vegetables. With a fairly astringent nose with some reluctant fruit in the background, I feared that I would not relive the pleasure I got three years ago. But the wine soon got it's footing, with a sharpness that cut through to balance with the food, coupled a mellow loam and earthy fruit in the mid palate, and a long finish where the components reverberate in counterpoint. Food is a must with this still vigorous wine. If I had another bottle, I'd revisit in 3 or 4 years wit the hope that the astringency mellowed a bit, or drink now with a sharp, earthy meal.
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9/27/2015 - acidqueen wrote: 83 Points
very thin and astringent this time around. previous bottles have been lean, but not like this. Getting too old or just a particularly bad bottle? will drink last few quickly.
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9/19/2015 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 95 Points
Winedinner with friends @Ekenhov (Ekenhov): Another great bottle of this wine. Lovely nose of mint, meat, blood, iron filings, leather, light tar, black truffle, cherry, lingonberry and raspberry. On the palate this perfectly combines intensity and power with poise and elegance. Good acidity, great mineal feeling, lovely finish with red, ripe berries, iron and earth. No signs of old age yet. Just lovely!
This is a great wine, but perhaps one could wish for a bit more intensity. I love the etheral notes of ripe raspberry and wild strawberry, but they are very fleeting. Just a tad more substance to the fruit and this would have flirted with perfection.
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4/23/2015 - Bun wrote: flawed
Hope it's flawed, otherwise disappointing.
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3/7/2015 - THT wrote: 90 Points
Robe évoluée, translucide. Le nez est immédiatement expressif, sur le tertiaire, sous bois. La bouche est délicate, douce, le vin a digéré tout son tanin. Beau vin à maturité. Même pour moi qui ne suis pas une grande fan de la Syrah !
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3/5/2015 - rnellans wrote: 92 Points
Similar to previous note. Nose of both dark and red fruits, hints of leather and earth. Nice balance and structure. Good acidity
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2/22/2015 - Argrath wrote: 88 Points
Blind tasting.
Very mature nose. Like a Port. Dried fruit, nuts and hints of soy sauce (detracts in my book). Meat stock and a bit old-school. A very mature nose, where it is hard to detect any particular place or style.
Medium-fullish, still tannic palate. Good length. A bit flowery with aromas of dried fruit, some leather and a tiny bit menthol. Slightly tart and dry finish.
A bit dissapointed in this wine considering the pedigree... It was very hard to detect any Syrah characteristics.
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2/1/2015 - jhngo Likes this wine: 96 Points
Light airy but develops some back bone as it opens. Sexy wine!
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1/22/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A private tasting and dinner (Bilthoven): Much lighter colour than the previous two and much lighter weight and concentration, drying tannins, has a touch of greenness but there is ripe fruit and pepper too, and length is very good. May need a bit more time.
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12/31/2014 - guile wrote: 91 Points
Drunk New Year's Eve. Pop and pour. Purple with light bricking. Nose of red fruits, leather, sour cherry. Body had weight and substance, a much better showing than past bottles.
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12/14/2014 - ctjared wrote:
Richard really liked this
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11/29/2014 - Nanda wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous nose is beautiful and complex wit mature fruit, pepper, black and green olives, smoked meat and a load of herbs. Wow palate with a pop of black pepper pop. Medium-to-full bodied yet elegant and bright. In a great spot.
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11/27/2014 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Raid Len's Cellar #2: Lifted aromatics - licorice, florals, black cherry, smoke and light truffle. The palate is refined and really well defined, with the savoury elements mixing with medium bodied fruit. With very good carry, this was drinking extremely well.
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11/4/2014 - ctjared wrote:
Better then I remember it, but it was too cold outside to get a true picture
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10/27/2014 - acidqueen wrote: 89 Points
Medium red wiht slight brick tones. Mature but nice aromatics. Surprisingly good after a 20 minute decant. Sweet cough syrup flavors, tobacco, cigar box wood, pepper. Tannins are subdued. Light body. Nice acid, perhaps a touch too much. Mineral. Definitely a leaner style, but better showing than 2 years ago. Needs rich food to to really shine. With food and time in decanter this was so much better, with more fruit showing and edges rounding. Like everything in life, this is all about expectations. Not a blockbuster, not an outstanding wine, but very nice and enjoyable in the right context. Don't even think about drinking this without some rich braised meats running with fat. But with that, very nice.
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10/1/2014 - RAD2626 wrote: 89 Points
Good fruit remains. Slight bricking on the edge. Raspberries and medium cherry.
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7/26/2014 - Paul S wrote: 90 Points
M+M's Housewarming BBQ (Malvern Springs): Decently good, but nothing more. En Magnum, this was another rather underperforming Northern Rhone – a bit disappointing given how well some of the much pilloried La Chapelles from the mid-1990s have started to show in recent years. The nose had a touch of farmyardy funk to it, which lifted slightly with time to show red fruited cherry aromas on a dusting of earth and mineral. The palate had a nice clarity to its blue fruited tones, but it was tightly wound and rather thinner bodied then I would expect, showing rather acidic citrus notes on the midpalate and towards the attack. A little bit of savoury bacon emerged with time, but this was still on the tight side, especially at the finish. It needs time yet, quite a bit of it. Nothing wrong with it at the moment, but it is just not that great. Another wine that time should give a bit of help too. Try again in 5 years.
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5/27/2014 - Ricky99 wrote: 95 Points
this was just beautiful.. 30 minutes after open... soft and lush.. good balance.
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5/10/2014 - cephomer Likes this wine: 94 Points
I drank this wine a year ago and my notes are entirely consistent with that tasting. Several have noted that this wine could be on the decline and that it was more light bodied than one would expect of this producer and lineage. I totally agree that this wine is a bit light in terms of its color, body & viscosity but it still has intensity of fruit, is extremely well balanced, the tannins are still there but are relatively soft and non-intrusive. The color is medium cherry-red, and the nose is of very lovely black fruit, tar and tobacco aromas. The wine screamed of coffee beans on the front palate, plenty of black pepper everywhere, had great mouthfeel, and lots of tertiary stuff here--leather, tar and earth. A great wine drinking nicely right now but a few more years of bottle age would do no harm. This wine has a good five years ahead of it at a minimum.
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2/16/2014 - Ricky99 wrote: 94 Points
With nice group and a great cassoulet.. very refined and balanced
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2/10/2014 - G.M. wrote: 93 Points
Deep garnet. Complex developing nose of dark plums, leather and game with nice violet high notes (didn't get the prunes noted below). Fresh satisfying palate with powdery grippy tannin, reasonably plush, high-acid middle palate and a solid finish. A very good wine, and one I'd buy again for the price i paid. Having said that, an 01 Bannockburn would do this trick for 1/3 the price.
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1/10/2014 - ctjared wrote:
Not my favorite. A bit too much prune.
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12/26/2013 - dougwine wrote:
Very nice for Christmas Dinner. Elegance with underlying structure. Mature with some bricking on the edges. Hints of mint and herbaceous qualities with deep rose. It was what I was expecting from this vintage in the North. Very good but not great.
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12/24/2013 - j30 wrote: 89 Points
Mature nose of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, plus raisiny fruit and prune. Medium-light bodied, high acidity and I wish there were more fruit and body. Smooth but tart finish.
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11/3/2013 - Raizes Likes this wine: 93 Points
石榴红色,并不显得老迈,但也不再年轻的酒。黑樱桃,黑李子,满满的果香塞满酒杯,甜香料的香气幻化出许多可能。木香和紫罗兰花香若隐若现,一点点烤肉和蘑菇的气息慢慢透出来,当然,肯定少不了胡椒和橡胶——欢迎来到Hermitage。半个小时肆意的玩闹之后,它开始变得认真起来。力度出现了,只是从香气中都能感受到和刚才那种充盈奔放的不同,现在是一种从四面八方而来的笼罩感。入口能感觉到单宁慢慢追了上来,非常的平衡,结构极佳。香甜不失强劲,矿物感带来愉悦,回味中的焦糖和一点苦感则让它保持住了优雅——就像一座中古城堡里的会客室,沙发、壁炉、点燃的雪茄,一切都让人感到安适和惬意。
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10/18/2013 - alittle wrote: 89 Points
Friday Night in Toronto (10tation Catering): Served alongside the Chave and for my tastes was ultimately outmatched. Much deeper garnet in colour, with a nose offering up scents of raisins, prunes, a touch of blackberry, earth, leather, light caramel and pepper. On the palate, I found this to be a bit astringent, with medium plus acids and some tannin clipping the finish. Structure is still quite evident, but I don't see this getting any better due to the stewed character of the fruit. Showing worse than the last time I tried this wine.
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10/18/2013 - Wine Canuck wrote: 90 Points
A Friday Night Toronto Wine Dinner: A fairly ripe and primary expression of Hermitage. Nose of raisins, bay leaf, and pepper, not much else. Palate is round and finished on harsh acid and alcohol with a medium finish. Didn't love this.
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10/10/2013 - mattjohnson_78 wrote: 87 Points
not great at all. the rst that i usually look for and enjoy was really metallic. forgettable wine from an otherwise consistent house
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10/8/2013 - tfharris wrote: flawed
Too bad. This one seems past it's prime. After 2 hours, it still tasted old.
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10/3/2013 - abbulf wrote:
Clos du Stavanger monthly tasting Oct. 2013 - 1998 horisontal (Stavanger, Norway): Wow! Sweet and stunning nose with blackberries and blueberries. Also iron minerals and some vanilla. Fresh, vibrant and perfect development so far. Keeps on improving with air. The palate is also stunning, with lots of fruit and concentration. Also lots of mature tannins. Stony minerality. Very long finish, and all is in perfect balance here. Really a fantastic wine that still seems to have upward potential.
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9/14/2013 - guile wrote: 90 Points
Another slightly above average showing of the '98 Hermitage, albeit better than the last one. Pristine cork pouring a dark ruby color, nose of heavy earth, cherry. Tinny and metallic on the palate, some VA, then earth, mushroom and dark fruit. Went well with some smoked seared tuna and mushrooms. Better than the 1997's but not as good as a recent 1995 bottle.
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9/13/2013 - Jhcwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose - Really nice. Just lovely. 94.
Palette - Abit tannic. Needs time. 92.
Overall. 93.
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4/29/2013 - themki wrote: 89 Points
Enticing mix of dark fruit, leather, Camembert, but still in 2013 distractingly tart. Try again in 5 years.
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3/9/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: flawed
Celebrating Ben's birthday (Goosefoot, Chicago IL): This was very disjointed on the palate and very muted on the nose. It was hard to tell what was wrong with it, but something was off.
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3/9/2013 - guile wrote: 88 Points
Another disappointing showing for the 98 La Chapelle. Good mature nose revealing tobacco, earth and leather. Little to no fruit on palate and taste was flat. Short finish. Color still red but bricking. Not sure if this is just a product of bad storage or a dud vintage. Most of the other CT notes suggest the latter. 10 bottles left, will keep fingers crossed.
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3/7/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 87 Points
Decanted and drank over two hours. A nose of earth, spice, black fruit and old wood. Thin and fairly compact on the palate. At times it seemed over ripe. Shorter finish. I expected more from this wine from this vintage.
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1/20/2013 - Timbalimba wrote: 91 Points
Mature, bricking. Earthy, mature nose with plum fruit, spice, some violet, and a ton of iron filling. Viscous, creamy palate, nice fruit, good acidity, tannins long gone. Long, balanced finish. Towards the very end of its lifespan, this scores outstanding on the mouthfeel and balance which is beautiful. Drink now
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1/5/2013 - Tavastgatan wrote: 90 Points
This is far from exciting. Mature but somehow dull fruit. Still a decent drink.
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12/8/2012 - Rich.Herbs Likes this wine: 94 Points
I feared I waited too long, but this wine is still outstanding. Decanted for sediment and poured, drank over period of 2 hours and it lasted the whole time. Slightly orange in the glass. Nose of cedar, earh, leather and dark fruit. More of the same in the mouth, balanced with judicious acid and tannins. Beautiful finish. Delicate, perhaps on the verge of losing its structure, drink up this wine within 6 months with hearty but simple meat dishes.
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9/26/2012 - Paul D wrote:
Northern Rhone WIMPS (The Ledbury, Notting Hill, London): Starting to lose focus at this point, but this was good but no more, with leathery dark fruit, notes of black pepper, quite ,polished on the palate but lacking a little zing and excitement. ***
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9/7/2012 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
Nose of both dark and red fruits, hints of leather and earth. Nice balance and structure. Good acidity and went well with duck paella.
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9/7/2012 - JimN wrote: 92 Points
No change from prior notes. Quick decant and pour. A soft, understated wine with good complexity, but time is running out...maybe a year or two.
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9/6/2012 - peterk wrote: 93 Points
Drank this with Jimn - so generous, as always - and loved it. We pushed it up against a 2003 Hobbs Shiraz - same grape, different universe. But I loved the Jaboulet - it was both elegant and complex and should be consumed while it is this good.
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8/28/2012 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Last bottle. This wine will be surely missed.
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8/15/2012 - alittle wrote: 90 Points
Wednesday, again... (Dave's House): Decanted quickly for sediment and served immediately. On the nose, this was almost entirely tertiary, showing mild notes of currant, but more decomposing leaves, earth, and leather. On the palate, like notes, with fully resolved tannin and moderate acidity. My first guess here was a late 80s early 90s Rhone. Shocked to see that this was only a 1998, and that the cork was pristine. Based on this tasting, this would have been better 5 years ago, which is shocking, given the pedigree.
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7/15/2012 - kellersc wrote:
Was a nice wine but too light. Wouldn't buy again.
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6/25/2012 - BornToRhone wrote: 92 Points
Garnet appearance with brown edges at the glass; Light scent of darker fruit with leather, dry earth, and yes, alcohol; Taste of berry, leather, bacon, minerality, with tartness on the back palate. Still has sufficent fruit, acidity, and tannins to go another 5-10 years. Was a fabulous pairing with the first shortribs ever from my new BGE. Both were awesome!
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6/17/2012 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
35th Anniversary Party Cellar Tasting; 6/16/2012-6/17/2012 (Rich & Dana's): What a change from twenty four hours ago. Aromas of red fruit, anise, mint, roasted herbs and tar. Well-balanced. Red fruit, tar and herb tones on the palate; long finish.
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6/17/2012 - acidqueen wrote: 88 Points
A very good, but not great wine. Opened two bottles, consistent notes. High fill levels, no leakage. Clear, bright, red. No real sign of age in the color. Wonderful nose, with red fruits and meaty aromas. Fine flavors of cherry, meat and tar. Flavors came up a bit short, though, and the wine was indeed slightly acerbic and lighter than I had expected based on the nose. None of this was a huge negative, and we did enjoy it with our meal, but this did bring down my score. (Decanted two hours)
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6/16/2012 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
35th Anniversary Party Cellar Tasting; 6/16/2012-6/17/2012 (Rich & Dana's): Red fruit aromas dominate the bouquet and palate. Has a hint of stewed fruit though, which is a little distracting. Spice and pepper notes underneath.
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5/20/2012 - thebonnydooner wrote: 94 Points
What a beautiful wine. Really nice balance of power, fruit and maturity. Lovely translucent red cherry in colour with definite orange bricking at the rim. Nose is also mature, smoked meat and stones, with notes of red cherry and currant lurking behind. Some tobacco and earth as well, nicely complex. Palate is lovely, powerful but with a lovely core of red cherry and currant sweetness, the finish lasts for ages even though it turns a little dry. Really looking forward to having this with dinner.
With some more air and dinner, upgrading to 94. Great wine.
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4/18/2012 - cephomer wrote: 96 Points
I had read that this wine could be on the decline and that it was more light bodied than one would expect of this producer and lineage. Having now had a bottle at Ned Towle's wine tasing last nite, I can say that I agree the wine was a tad light in terms of its body or viscosity BUT the intensity of fruit was very evident and quite a thrill. The wine was extremely well balanced, the tannins relatively soft and non-intrusive and the nose was of very lovely tar and tobacco aromas. The wine screamed of coffee beans on the front palatte, plenty of black pepper everywhere, had great mouthfeel, and showed overall great balance. The word that keeps coming back to me on reflection is 'intensity'. I wouldn't say the wine was overly extracted but the intensity of black fruit flavors was quite extraordinary. A great wine drinking nicely right now but a few more years of bottle age would do no harm. This wine has a good ten years ahead of it at a minimum. The wine of the nite at Ned's Rhone tasting if I may say so. I'm looking forward to drinking some more of these lovelies. Very curious now about the 99s in my cellar. Bravo!
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2/11/2012 - Mackmoo wrote: 83 Points
Over the hill.
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2/7/2012 - Rickfell wrote: 93 Points
Still drinking great, very complex nose and great mouthfeel
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1/12/2012 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
No disapointments here, popped and poured, very low sediments and slight black peppery taste, but in a good way. Went well with baby back ribs.
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12/22/2011 - Tjp1963 wrote: 90 Points
Very light, somewhat floral. First bottle of the night, and it was the right choice. Hints of Anise and Tangerine, with slight tobacco.
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11/28/2011 - brucegrayseattle@gmail.com wrote:
Had along with a Barolo to go with a rabbit, rosemary, olive stew. Delicious. I couldn't add much to what steffenpelz and redknife had to say below. If you're used to "shiraz" or Washington/California syrah, this won't be your cup of tea. But it's a benchmark Hermitage for me.
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10/19/2011 - petitblanc wrote:
HDH French BYOB Dinner: Much lighter than expected, almost thin, but the profile is bright and ripe. Not scored.
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10/8/2011 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
A lot of strawberries in the bouquet and beside that minerals, pepper and slightly earthy impressions. Very juicy on the palate with good acidity and pleasant bitterness in the finish. Elegant typical northern Rhône style Syrah. Ready now and a future of several years.
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9/29/2011 - rpenn77 wrote: 87 Points
Disappointing, thin in the mouthfeel. I have had a lot better for a lot less!
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9/16/2011 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Stonehenge Cellar bottle, no sediments and lots of life is left in this very pleasurable Cote Rotie. Some air might help, but not so much. Asian spice nose, I love this wine.
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8/14/2011 - Zingrrl wrote: 92 Points
Much better than last time...roses, dust, and pepper on the nose. Hint of leather. Slightly tart red fruit and medium finish. Just enough structure. Ready now!
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7/30/2011 - redknife wrote: 95 Points
Decanted one hr before for sediment. Outstanding old world syrah, brick colored edges with leather, very mild barnyard, black/ red berries and white pepper on the nose. On the palate the wine is smooth and elegant with cherries, blueberries, smoked meat and a 20-30 s finish. In a great spot now with potential for some improvement in 3-5 years
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7/24/2011 - keith prothero wrote: 94 Points
. Profound, classic, gorgeous La Chapelle. Complex and so elegant, with layers of red fruit,pepper and mineral that build to a beautifully long finish. Fabulously smooth texture. Excellent
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5/29/2011 - steffenpelz wrote:
This one isn't going to win you over with its fruit forward-ness. That said, this wine has amazing finesse, elegance, freshness, and yet, it is able to pack impressive intensity of flavor. Silky texture that's more reminiscent of Pinot Noir than Syrah. The nose is soaring out of the glass and olive tapenade, black pepper, dried herbs and blackberry are the primary flavors. There's a sappiness in this wine that I don't traditionally associate with Syrah, especially US Syrah. Finishes tremendously well and just a stunning bottle of wine. Although it is certainly a terrific food wine, this is actually a bottle that one can drink and ponder...an "intellectual wine". The only regret I have is that I don't own a case full of this.
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5/26/2011 - madia wrote: 92 Points
Northern Rhone tasting 1998-2003 (Mike Raav at Burgata): Purple color, with hints of brown and white shoulders. Excellent and complex nose – fruit, vanilla, earth. Medium bodied, rough tannins.
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5/26/2011 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
Northern Rhone (Raab at Burgatta): Light red
Brett in aroma, pleasant
Acidic, fruity, fresh, dry, med-body, low harmony
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5/15/2011 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wide open nose with elegant light, red fruit with darker notes of plum underneath. Some evolvement with forest floor, mushrooms and fruitcellar. Some raspberryliquor, liquorice and vanilla. Also hints of tar and smoke, but comes across as elegant rather than powerfull. On the palate quite lively with fresh acids and silky-soft, fine-grained tannins and low-key fuit. Lovely blance! The long finish has a hint of warmth, some white pepper and mature fruit. Beautiful! Probably at it's peak now. A great showing for this wine, quite a surprise!
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3/19/2011 - Haut Brion Likes this wine:
***
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2/11/2011 - JimN wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful wine in a great place right now. Silky mouth feel, just a bit of copper color forming on the edges, almost burgundian, but with a dash of spice and pepper. Still has life, but I don't think it is likely to improve.
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1/9/2011 - Biggsy wrote: 91 Points
Dark garnet with a full expressive nose: sweet berry fruit and lovely smoky secondary aromas of polished saddle leather, ground coffee, thyme and cloves. Elegant and starting to resolve, but now still dense with concentrated sweet cherry fruit and big but ripe spicy tannins. Good depth on the mid-palate with iron and tobacco notes; the sweet fruit becomes almost candied with time in the glass. Plenty of time to drink these yet.
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1/2/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
La Chapelle is light ruby in color. With BBQ, earth, spice and kirsch and barnyard aromatics, the wine feels soft in the mouth. This wine has matured at a rapid pace for La Chapelle. The finish ends with jammy black raspberries, hints of steel and an off putting touch of greeness. I'd suggest drinking this sooner than later..
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12/12/2010 - cubswinws wrote: 90 Points
Much better than my last bottle. Color fading a bit but fruit still soft. Some smokiness and tannins well integrated. If you have these I would think I would drink
sooner rather than later.
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11/20/2010 - Jossik wrote: 89 Points
Inizialmente su toni selvatici stile cavallo, poi escono erbe quali rosmarino, menta, poi tante belle spezie, cannella, noce moscata. In bocca il tannino è morbido e dolce, forse un po' troppo semplice
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11/5/2010 - RISM wrote: 90 Points
Light ruby in middle, brick red around the edges. Uneven, slow legs. Nose smokey, savoury, gamey, leather with just a hint of gingerbread. Palate of blackcurrants and violets, leathery with a hint of chocolate. Long, dry finish, tannins noticeable, but very well integrated. Lovely texture, full-bodied, powerful, masculine. Great with game birds (pheasant and grouse) on a cold, rainy English autumn evening.
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9/5/2010 - keith prothero wrote: 90 Points
On a whim I cracked open a bottle,as I have a case and wanted to check how it was progressing.
Decanted two hours.
Beautifully meaty, earthy nose with hints of blackberry. Big, rounded tannins and good acidity. Ends quite richly. A much better wine than I thought it would be after reading various notes although I see the Wine Doctor rates it reasonably highly. Reckon it will improve with another few years in bottle but it is not bad now if a touch hard work.Went down well though with a steak on the braii. Very good/potentially excellent
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9/3/2010 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
decanted for 1 hour, lots of sediments in the wine, it's getting mature as we speak. Tremendous effort, enjoyable, just give it some air. Bought more today, this wine never bores me.
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8/19/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 91 Points
Corks: Syrah (Rossford, OH): Slight coffee color, quite brown. The nose has a lot of that duck-dipped-in-soy-sauce thing that I get on over-the-hill Bordeaux. On the palate, smooth, melted-away tannins, okish acidity. Slightly flabby. Sausage. Creamy. Nice, but over the hill. The dregs make this better, giving it a little more youthful structure.
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8/9/2010 - mike5446g wrote: 97 Points
Strong olive on the nose; it makes way for the black pepper, blood, and earth. As much as I try not to use the term, umami is what pops into my head. The fruit here is blue and red - still quite prevalent. It's all golden on the rich, long finish. This is one of my favorite wines. I've had it about eight times in the last three years and it just keeps getting better.
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5/22/2010 - psmith wrote:
Birthday Bash with Pig (Chicagoland): From 1.5L. Surprisingly good modern La Chapelle. Dark fruit. Tobacco. Grainy tannins. Firm. Very young.
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5/22/2010 - MatthewF wrote:
The Greatest Pig Roast Ever?? (Chicagoland): From 1.5L Bottle. Much more vibrant nose than the 90 served alongside. Firm, spicy dark fruit, roasted meat, and earth on the nose. Frim fruits on the palate as well with a great mineral component. A lot of backbone to the wine. Moderate plus finish. Young and quite good.
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5/11/2010 - Rupert wrote: 88 Points
Hermitage La Chapelle - complete vertical 1961-2005 (Institute of Directors, London): Shy nose, meaty syrah on the palate, but wow so tannic; and acidic. Like the flavour, but harsh and hard to drink right now
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4/26/2010 - Cheryl wrote:
Leo's Blind Tasting Club - April (Tribeca Grill): In contrast to the 1990, I'm certain I enjoyed this more than most. It is still rather primary and would have seemed new world if I hadn't known otherwise. Ripe fruit, round on the palate. Darker fruits. Really nice.
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4/21/2010 - ethanstock wrote: 92 Points
Lovely, lovely wine. Can't wait to drink the '88 on a really special occasion.
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4/5/2010 - tonsta wrote: 92 Points
palate was thinner than I expected but a good wine nevertheless. Drink now to 2015
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4/4/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 92 Points
Wine Club: Pinot (Bowling Green, OH): Truly interesting wine. The nose is absolutely incredible - hot dog, hair perm and green olives for days. On the palate, it's fairly thin, which pulls it back from being a truly world-class wine, but that's being picky. Nice.
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3/11/2010 - Faryan wrote: flawed
A Foray to the N. Rhone: Cote Rotie, Misc Hermitage and a La Chapelle vertical (Dino's Restaurant): Unfortunately, this wine was most likely heat damaged, as the fruit and mushroom aromas were stewed and hot. The palate offers some very nice concentrated fruit, but again, finishes curt with astringent hot stewed fruit. A shame.
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2/13/2010 - jarjarbinx99 wrote: 96 Points
Vieux Rhones Restaurant Louis IX
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1/10/2010 - Khamen wrote: 90 Points
This was rather good - round, warm, toasty and spicy but with plenty of finesse. A little dusty on the mid-palate. The surprise here is that I found it almost too ready for an Hermitage from a well respected vintage. Good concentration and a certain sweetness on the finish which is of good length and very round. Accessible, ripe and well made but how long will it last? Another 5 years? 10? Longer? Tough call...
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1/8/2010 - pjaines wrote:
Interesting nose and palate - sweet plum skins, orange peel and red fruit cut through with a more fungal and animalistic funk. Actually a lot softer than I was expecting - probably could do with more tannic structure to balance off the sweetness. Good stuff though that is 10 years from being ready.
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12/23/2009 - kgh wrote: 93 Points
Medium to full body, with rich fruit and supple tannins. Very well balanced. Improved with aeration.
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12/13/2009 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Lovely mid-weight Syrah that has some nice leather and tar development mixing it up with floral and berry notes but will never drink like Mr Leve's recent 61.
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12/10/2009 - cgrimes wrote: 94 Points
NSMFOW December '09--BYO Yankee Swap (The Grapevine, Salem, MA): Purple color with some lightening at the rim. Nose of sweet dark fruits, herbs, earth. Palate very smooth with blackberry, plum, spice, some tar and earth. Tannins sweet. Near perfect balance. More elegant than powerful. Some even felt it was Pinot-like. Nice wine.
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11/17/2009 - la turque wrote: 93 Points
Two flights, ranked in order of performance:
1997 Ornellaia - Beautiful, sublime, sexy wine. Drinking incredibly well. Impeccable balance.
1997 Pavie-Macquin - despite what one might think of the 1997 vintage in Bordeaux, this wine was brilliant.
1997 Beringer Private Reserve - A perennial favourite.
1997 Lafite Rothschild - A barnyardy nose, which blew off with time. Great pedigree and structure. Lay down for 5 years.
1991 Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque - my personal favourite of the tasting. A brilliant, complete wine - my favourite wine ever!
1998 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde - a beautifully made, delicious wine.
1998 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle - Probably the only really good La Chapelle made since the 1990 in my view.
1996 Chateau de Fonsalette Reserve Cuvee Syrah - my second favourite of the flight. Deep, dark, sweet, thick, amazing.
All wines showed beautifully, and were drinking well.
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10/27/2009 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Decanting for an hour brought everything together, WOTN
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10/24/2009 - kevin h wrote: 87 Points
A bit stewed on the nose - plums, game and black tea aromas. Medium weight, some gamey fruit, amber showing already, tastes mature. Drink up.
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9/13/2009 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Zeegirl on 10/1/2008 nailed it. Got better and better with time in the glass, complexity was enormous and now I MUST find it in the stores. If you like Northern Rhone, don't miss this beauty.
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7/15/2009 - EricBe wrote: 86 Points
Funky and tart upon opening, this did actually open up pretty well. I wouldn't drink it straight (tart), but with food (roast beef, tomatoes), it worked OK.
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5/16/2009 - Plusvini wrote: 92 Points
Nose of blackberry liqueur, bacon and spice. Medium bodied palate with a bit of earthiness, well balanced with lots of fine tannins lingering on the finish. Lots of life left. She who likes Barolos liked this wine a lot.
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1/2/2009 - DhirenF wrote: 93 Points
drank after decanting for 60min, over 3 hrs. beautiful and just getting better with time
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12/25/2008 - kgh wrote: 88 Points
Medium body wine with somewhat thin mouthfeel. Ribe berry fruit still prominent on palate and short finish. Drank over several hours, and improved with time to open up.
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11/30/2008 - Art_Vandelay wrote: 91 Points
Medium intensity in the glass with a ruby/garnet core. Reasonable intensity on the nose with a leathery spice, ripe red fruits and roasted red pepper. On the palate - medium to full-bodied with a savoury character and an appealing tartness. Should develop well over the long haul.
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11/29/2008 - keelegl wrote: 91 Points
Dark berries on the nose with some underbrush and a touch of leather. You can feel the youthfulness on the palate as the tannins are providing a solid backbone to the fruit while maintaining a nice balance and elegance. Could turn out to be a special bottle in the future. 91++
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11/29/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Hermitage La Chapelle Wine-Pages Offline (Vinoteca, Smithfield, London): More more like 92, a little tighter but spicy, plummy fruit. Slightly more marked acidity on entry. Black fruits. Ok, needs time I think. Might be better than 94 in long run but in a lighter style. **(*)1/2
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11/23/2008 - Stefanos T. wrote: 89 Points
Garnet colored almost brown.
Nose shows signs of fatigue, though my glass was one with sediment, ash and plumm with black leather.
Lean on the mouth with cooked and jammy fruit. Fruit has faded but the wine is still tannic.
Drink up.
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11/18/2008 - pll4 wrote: 92 Points
After a couple of hours it opened up revealing anise, caramel, raspberries, smoked meat, and a hint of olive brine on the nose...a bit hollow mid-palate, but a nice long finish...tannins are resolved. Not sure if this will get any better with time. Give it a decant and drink up.
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11/16/2008 - AllRed wrote: 86 Points
The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Rich & Dana's): Color shows some age at the rim. Notes of red fruit, tobacco and spice box. Flavors of sweet red fruit, tobacco, spice and herbs, developing a beef jerky quality toward the end.
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10/26/2008 - Squirreljam wrote: 92 Points
Impression only from a restaurant dinner - Nice wine that developed well with time in the glass. After maybe half an hour, there's a distinctive nose with eucalyptus or menthol. Nicely weightless in the mouth, still has presence. Notes of plum with a hint of cooked fruit and earth. Nice balance of structure - while this isn't a blockbuster, the overall balance and mix of flavors make it a very nice wine with dinner.
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10/1/2008 - Zeegirl wrote: 93 Points
This wine is a conundrum because of the disparity between the tasting notes of RP vs. WS. Which makes it a great wine to talk about now that it has 10 years on it. Opened a magnum ( yeah I i know magnums take longer to mature) recently. Seemed a super flabby at the outset, but after some exposure to "N2 O2 Ar CO2" et. al. it really started to emerge in a surprising way that was quite complex and full of perfumed layers of flavor. I think it has surprises in store after alot more cellaring. Ain't gonna open my other magnum for at least 5 years or so.
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9/22/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Hermitage La Chapelle, 10 vintages incl 1990. TWS Tasting (Merchant Taylors' Hall, London): Paler, hint of swimming pool on the nose. Quite light, some spice and fruit on the attack. Reasonably developed. Lacks complexity I think. Only moderate length. Structure is acidity dominated. Seemingly light. On revisiting this is quite deceptive - more to it than first seemed, but nonetheless I don't think this is one of the greats. ***
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9/15/2008 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for about 2 1/2 hours. Dark garnet color. Brash nose of cinnamon, leather, plums, and char. Medium-bodied with chiseled layers of deftly-defined brambly red fruits, spicecake, coffee, and mineral notes. I felt there was some refreshing acidity to the wine, plus filed off tannins and a truly lovely finish with some echoes of fruit and grip. A slight injection of oakiness did not detract. Delicious and complex charmer.
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8/17/2008 - Ericdwar wrote: 88 Points
Bright cherry red wine, with clear rim. Nose is of farmyard, pencil lead, & alcohol. Taste is pleasant, fruit forwardwith good acidity; sharp cherry & red fruits especially. Midling finish. Good overall, but not yet ready.
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5/11/2008 - Finare Vinare wrote: 93 Points
Light brownish red, orange rim. Viscous tears form gothic arches in the glass. Very complex and distinctive, graphic nose: Herbs, pine and eucalyptus. Smoke, tar and liquorice. Slightly cooked dark fruit with some perfume. Overtones of violets and other flowers. Horse manure, gravel and undergrowth. Lean, smooth taste with fresh acids and softened tannins. Medium concentration and aftertaste. To our surprise it is not very powerful, instead a wine of great finesse, more like an elegant Côte-Rôtie. Ready to drink. Excellent with slow food.
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3/29/2008 - ikiesewetter wrote:
Dried fruit, raisins in nose, some strawberry notes, clean & sweet on palate, great extraction, some earthy notes.
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3/16/2008 - jryoung wrote: 92 Points
Similar to my previous bottle, not a classic Hermitage IMO as it has a wonderful delicateness to it. Pleasantly funky nose of cut hay, earth, and cherry. Ripe tartness on the palate makes this an excellent food wine, and with a dry aged rack of lamb lastnight this was fantastic.
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2/4/2008 - dream wrote: 91 Points
This wine is approaching maturity and shows all the lovely earthy funk of the vineyard. While not classically proportioned in terms of what this vineyard can produce, this was a delicious wine showing tons of character with pure earthy flavors with notes of beef and tobacco.
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12/3/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
The nose gives an exciting combination of aromas including dark fruit, roasted fruit, iron/mineral, sage, prune, raisin, game, smoke and coffee. A bit subdued. The mineral and sage components really stood out. In the mouth this is mid-weight and fiercely tannic. Flavors include dark fruit, chocolate, and iron/mineral and are pretty intense from attack through mid-palate before dissipating a bit at the finish. This could be due to the fine grain/drying tannins that dominate the finish, although I would guess it is more a result of the need for more fruit concentration. I struggle with rating this as there is so much going on with this wine (making it very fun to taste), but would ultimately rate it in the range 90-92 points.
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11/12/2007 - psmith wrote:
Some light cinnamon and spice notes. Light flavors and body - almost Burgundian. Rather subdued structurally as well, albeit with a firm acidic kick. Tastes like an older La Chapelle than the vintage would suggest. Just OK.
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10/26/2007 - dwandrus wrote: 92 Points
BC-03029554; Pleasing subtle, light nose of black rasberry, mint, cherry, mineral. On the palate, less structure, but earthiness, slight blood, game, and violets, very little spice. Long mild cherry then olive finish. Tannins and acid in good balance, this wine ready to drink, but let it open!
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10/15/2007 - jryoung wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 6 hours. Ruby color, nose of red fruits, leather and herbs. Bright palate, lots of acid without food this wine is lost. Very good wine, not what I was expecting from a relatively young Hermitage, but pleasant drinking.
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9/22/2007 - Javs wrote: 96 Points
A special wine...nothing contrary to discuss.
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8/6/2007 - THT wrote: 90 Points
Robe brillante, légèrement évoluée. Beau nez complexe et élégant, révélant un vin travaillé. Notes de confiture, pointe de torréfaction, épices, une pointe de menthe et de violette. L'attaque est sur le poivre, la matière est élégante avec des tanins fins. Bonne persistance. Belle bouteille, mais pas exceptionnelle.
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4/7/2007 - burningstarIV wrote: 86 Points
Quickly evolving nose; light berries gave way to darker denser ones, then to aromas of dense earth, before shutiing down completely. Palate was tart and generally lacking. 50+4+13+13+6=86
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2/25/2007 - dbkitc wrote:
(at Charleston – Baltimore) Black raspberry, medicine and mint. Rich with a beef consume feel to it. Drinking well now, but will last a while. This was better than expected. (17)
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2/17/2007 - Geoffrey Carter wrote: 88 Points
Good, but not the best showing.
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1/12/2007 - dwandrus wrote: 91 Points
Dull red color with brown hue. Full nose of mushrooms, earthiness, blood, and ripe cherries. Soft full palate of green apples, with flavors of grilled meats, and strong, lingering finish of ripe fruit. I believe this wine could use another 3 to 4 years aging.
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12/22/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 91 Points
Thin brownish-red color that is a little watery at the rim. The nose is wild and expressive, giving animal, blood, iron, mineral and extremely ripe fruit. Beautiful. Medium bodied. Good acidity. The palate impression starts slow but builds to a nice finish of mostly red fruit. Very smooth. Tannins are still present and drying. The nose shows far stronger than the taste. This is the first of five bottles purchased recently at auction, and I think this should develop nicely with additional bottle age.
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3/1/2006 - Zingrrl wrote: 85 Points
Opened too early. I will wait 3 to 5 more years before popping another cork.
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1/9/2006 - johnphinney8 wrote: 94 Points
Faint vanilla and eucalyptus on the nose. Some spices. Grilled meats and a touch of glycerin as well. Fantastic wine.
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